Snapshots and tidbits
by kebzero
Summary: This contains assorted ficlets, mostly written for the weekly challenges of the gw500 LiveJournal community. Contents, pairings and rating varies. Most ficlets have Shounen Ai elements.
1. Frame

_AN: Before we begin..._

The stories within this 'story' are for the most part independent ficlets written as responses for the weekly challenges offered at the gw500 LiveJournal community. A few are connected, and their individual notes should say as much. Each chapter contains one ficlet. Topics, pairings and ratings varies - to be safe, I'm labeling the whole thing with an 'R'. Most of these ficlets contain Shounen Ai/Yaoi elements. Each ficlet is marked for pairing and content. New ficlet-chapters will be added as they are written. Truncated pairing numbers (missing plus symbols) are to be blamed on ff.net's upload system.

And with that, we go to ficlet #1.

* * *

**Frame**   
  
_Contents/Warnings:_ Shounen Ai, Duo PoV.   
_Pairing:_ 21-ish   
_Disclaimer:_ See all the others; status unchanged. 

AN: Ficlet written for Challenge #3 ('Photograph') at the gw500 LJ community.

* * *

I have a frame. 

I found it in a nickel-and-dime shop a while ago, and just had to have it. It's old; the polished woodwork is riddled with scratches, the golden paint is flaking off in places and growing gray in the rest. The joint in the bottom right corner has loosened up to a gap closing halfway in, and there's some splintering at the top - though that last damage was added by yours truly, after a grab-and-run from the last safehouse. The back is of black cardboard, stapled to the frame in three corners. There's a small foot attached to the back, as well as a tiny brass hook. Nightstand or wall, the thing thrives anywhere. The front is clear plastic - but that's okay, fragile glass wouldn't do the frame justice anyway.

I don't have a picture.

Really, I don't. The frame is empty. Sure, I've got plenty of ideas about what to fill the frame with, things I want to remember; see again and again. Some things of the past, just as many from the present. It would be damn easy to just grab a camera and snap off a few shots of my choice ideas, and pick one to put in the battered frame.

But I can't.

See, while I wouldn't mind having a picture of, say, Deathscythe, behind that plastic cover, it wouldn't be smart. Same goes for a photo of Howard or his ship, a group shot of the gang, no matter the surroundings, or just a close-up of... him. Yeah, I would really have liked that; him smiling at me through the plastic window. Not that I could have gotten him to smile while I took his picture anyway - the best I could hope for would be a frown, or a glare threatening bodily harm if the photographer didn't leave the vicinity.

The point is, a picture supposedly says more than a thousand words.

So, let's say I was caught, or killed, and whomever I was going to provide endless torment to as a vengeful ghost found the frame and its condemning content - a picture of Howard, or his ship, or the guys, or the Gundams - or his icy blue eyes glaring daggers, as if even the _thought_ of being trapped behind plastic offended him. Think they would hesitate putting it on a 'wanted' poster? I mean, he has looks to kill; literally, figuratively - same thing to me. Others see only menace there, but they've never faced those eyes long enough to see beyond that.

They never drowned.

So, I have an empty frame. Empty to all those who look at it, and _only_ it. With my mind's eye, I fill it with everything I can think of; a complete record of my life, bad moments and good, all in pictures, all of them protected behind the plastic - even one jailing his captivating smile, the one I imagine he has, but hides so well.

I have a frame.

All I really need, is something other than fantasy to fill it with.

-end-   
(but the ficlet 'Picture' is a continuance of this one)


	2. Scrambled

  
**Scrambled**   
  
_Contents/Warnings:_ Shounen Ai, rituals, randomness, rambling.   
_Pairings:_ 3x4, 1x2   
_Disclaimer:_ See all the others; status unchanged. 

AN: Ficlet written for Challenge #4 ('Digging') at the gw500 LJ community.

* * *

"Dig in, guys," Quatre offered, and he put the black pan on the table. Three out of four sets of eyes focused on the scrambled eggs and chives garnish within. From the corner of his eye, Quatre noticed Trowa choking on his coffee, and shot him a cheeky smile, satisfied with the reaction. "Heero's coffee too hot for you, Trowa? Sure you don't want some cream with that?"

Trowa was ready this time, and didn't succumb to giving a reaction beyond an amused smirk, which he wiped clean from his nearly-spilt coffee as he coughed once to clear his throat again. "No, I think I like it bare."

Quatre chuckled, and reached for the spatula. "Okay... Same procedure as last meal, guys?"

"Same procedure as every meal," Duo quickly replied. Going in a circle from Duo's right, Wufei, Heero and Trowa nodded in turn.

With a nod in acknowledgement, Quatre split the contents of the pan into six equal-sized portions. He then lifted one portion to each pilot's plate in turn, finishing with himself, leaving one piece of egg-mash in the pan. It had become a strange ritual of theirs; a slight gesture of remembrance, a small step above mere memories, though less than a grave.

They ate. That is, four of them did. Wufei seemed content poking his fork at his meal, instead more content sipping from his coffee to offset his red-streaked eyes.

"Rough night, 'fei?"

Wufei scowled at Duo. "Noisy neighbors."

Trowa nearly spilled coffee again, and quickly hid a slight smirk. Quatre blushed. "Wufei, uhm... I'm sorry, we didn't mean to-"

Wufei stabbed his portion of scrambled eggs, spooned up a bit and shovelled it into his mouth, chewed twice, swallowed hurriedly. "It's okay. Just be a little more _subtle_ next time." Second stab. "Please."

Quatre meekly nodded, and quiet descended over the breakfast table once more.

At least until Wufei closed his eyes, pinched the bridge of his nose and abruptly dropped his fork to his plate. "Whoever that foot belongs to... You're in the _wrong_ place." A quick pan from his right to his left saw aloofness, indifference, innocence and grin, in that order. He frowned at Duo, quickly moved his foot and stomped down on the one that had been caressing the top of his own a split-second before, planning for a yelp.

Instead, he got Heero sputtering on his coffee, Duo laughing, Quatre reaching for the paper napkins on the bench and Trowa tugging on a smile.

Accusing finger, accompanying glare. "You! Yuy, what the heck-"

Heero smirked back at him, wiping his chin with the napkins Quatre offered.

"If you want Duo, he's right over there, why-"

Duo paused his chuckling. "Oh, he knows - and he has _two_ feet, Wufei. He's good at multitasking, see."

Growl. He glared at Heero. "Never again."

"Oh, come on, 'fei - loosen up a little." Duo nodded towards the pan. "Whoever you're saving that for, couldn't have meant for you to remain so damn shut off about everything for the rest of your life. You need to get out and meet someone. Preferably get laid, but a date would be a good start. Any date."

The glare shifted from one to the other. "I've never told any of you who I-"

"Right - but I'm betting it was an old girlfriend or something. The way you brood on it is different from what you'd do for family, or strangers."

Wufei scowled at Duo a little while longer, but said nothing, eventually dismissing it, and returned to concentrate on his meal.

Quatre had finished his portion in the meantime, stood up and grabbed a small, brown paper bag resting on the counter. He held it up to the others for silent approval. Getting nods all around, he carefully shuffled the eggs left in the pan into the bag and sealed it. "I'll go set it up, then. You'll do the dishes?"

Heero nodded. "And Duo will dry."

Snort. "Bossy bastard."

Smirk, but no answer. Not over the table, anyway.

Quatre gave a curt nod, and went for the door. Trowa hastily wiped his mouth with a napkin. "I'll go help Quatre."

Wufei grunted. "Not like last night, I hope - we might have a mission this afternoon, and-"

Duo's light kick in his shin silenced him. Trowa used the diversion to escape, retreating from the ensuing arguments and light bickering. He caught up with Quatre in the hallway.

"Hey."

Smile. "Hi."

Brief silence. Trowa threw his partner a lopsided smirk. "You just _had_ to say that this morning, didn't you? About digging in, and cream?"

With an impish smile, Quatre shrugged. "You didn't complain when I told you that yesterday, and you appeared to enjoy the cream."

"Mm-hmm," Trowa offered with a nod. "I suppose - but that's only because it enhanced the flavors of the rest of the 'meal'."

Quatre laughed. "Well, it was fun." Pause, wiggle of brows. "We still have an unused can of that instant whipped cream in the fridge, don't we?"

Snort. "And you think that will still be there by nightfall?"

Amused, raised eyebrow. "Guess we'll just have to steal it before they others spot it, then."

Trowa chuckled. The hallway fell quiet again. He glanced at the paper bag, and sighed. "Remind me again who suggested we do this?"

Quatre shrugged. "I can't remember. We just do it now. Our little common heathen ritual, I suppose. Innocent enough to be ignored by other philosophies and beliefs, but significant enough to matter."

Faint snort. "Sacrificing food..."

Another shrug. "It would only be wasted or fought over anyway. Splitting things six ways is easier than splitting them five, most of the time. Besides, this is something we can all share, don't you agree?"

Drawn out sigh. "I suppose..." And they did - Each of them set aside the sixth portion of their meals for a different person; a young girl with a flower hat, a nun clutching a bloodstained crucifix, a rugged mercenary captain giving his final commands, a mother unknown other than through tears, pictures and carefully selected words, and a fiancée that turned out to be almost as unknown - and worth more respect than could be lived up to. Each entitled to a portion of their meal; of their everyday life in a more ceremonious way than prayer.

None had yet told the others who they were offering to. It was almost too private to share. Quatre wouldn't mind telling, but he knew the rest were reluctant to share their invisible guest at the table, and didn't want to make them feel guilty for remaining silent.

They came to the small, black cauldron set up at the back porch of their safehouse, and closed the sliding doors behind them. Trowa put some kindling in first, Quatre placing the meal bag on top of it. He dug out some matches from his pocket, and lit the fire, flames eating their portion happily.

"It's probably too soggy to burn entirely."

Curt nod. "Maybe. We'll just throw the leftovers away with the ashes, as we always do."

They watched the flames in silence for a while. Quatre placed an arm around Trowa's waist, the gesture returned quickly enough. He rested his chin against Trowa's shoulder, sighed. "How long do you think we'll be doing this, Trowa? Remembrance is good, but... it isn't closure."

Lips to his hair. "I guess we'll all talk about it when we're ready, and deal with it then."

Quatre tilted his head to look Trowa in the eye. "I'm ready now."

Trowa put on a sad smile. "Will you wait for me?"

Quatre beamed back at him, hugged him tight. "Always, love. Always."

-end-


	3. Spirits High

  
**Spirits High**   
  
_Contents/Warnings:_ Festive alcohol intake   
_Pairing:_ None   
_Disclaimer:_ See all the others; status unchanged. 

AN: Ficlet written for Challenge #5 ('Party') at the gw500 LJ community.

* * *

"This seat taken?"

Noin looked up from the cheerful umbrella drink she was neglecting, equally happy Hawaiian shirt and worn sunglasses smiling back at her. She shook her head. "Please."

Howard sat down, planted his beer on the small, round table and tilted his sunglasses far enough down his nose to look over the brim. "Miss Noin, your face is one of the few ones here that isn't happy tonight. How's that? You don't think peace is worth cheering for?"

She sighed, suddenly wishing she hadn't invited the old man to the table. She didn't want to sit alone, but she wasn't too inclined to being told what to think, do, or feel, either. "I'm not in the mood for it right now, I'm afraid." She idly spun her glass. "I just... I want some time to process his - his-"

Troubled, Howard took to studying the lines and thin cracks of the table. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean-"

Noin put her hands over his folded ones, smiled faintly. "It's okay. I know."

Eyes above brim. "We've all had losses in this war. I'm sorry for yours, but won't there be time to grieve later?"

She chuckled, leaned back, wiped away a stray tear. "That sounds disrespectful, putting them on hold."

He smiled, took a gulp of his beer, wiped his moustache dry. "I suppose it is - but it's still sound advice. Look around us, Lu - how many here do you think have put their mourning on hold for just this night? That Lady Une-"

Wry smile at both names. "Her little disorder probably comes in handy now. Switch to the other mindset when one is feeling down..."

Howard's face hardened momentarily.

Noin sighed again. "I know, I know... I'm sorry. I feel so alone. And angry. Angry that he just left me here."

He scratched the back of his receding hairline, threw a lopsided grin. "We-e-ell, nobody is ever truly alone - and you have lots of friends, and-" He leant in, face serious once more, voice low, but steady. "You wouldn't really want to follow him _there_, now would you? One thing is being loyal and deeply in love, but I think Shakespeare really blew it with all those 'Romeo and Juliet' shenanigans. If he had known what-"

Smile. "Howard?"

"Hm?"

"You're rambling."

"Oh." He focused on his beer again.

"And I'm not thinking about suicide, Howard. I don't believe- No, I _know_ Zechs isn't-"

Two slender, long-fingered hands slammed into the table. "Whatchya hidin' back here for, guys? We're trying to have a _party_ here!"

Howard grinned up at his pseudo-protégé. "We needed a break, Duo - that's all."

He grinned even wider. "Well, break's over." Duo extended one hand to either conversationalist, but got no acceptance. "Oh, come _on_. You know you want to see Quatre get all liquored up."

Noin flagged a brow. "I didn't think Quatre even _touched_ alcohol."

Wink. "Not to his knowledge, either."

She shook her head, smiled slightly. "Duo..."

"Okay, so I didn't _really_ tamper with his drink... Well, not the booze level, anyway."

Howard chuckled dryly. "Oh? What kinda trouble are you up to now, squirt?"

"You'll have to come and see." Again, he put his hands forward, and this time, both were taken. Noin and Howard let themselves be half-dragged into the main crowd, a happy mass of people, bordering on critical, judging from the high-spirited mood permeating the so-called great hall of the cramped Mo2 resource satellite. A few self-appointed servants dodged inebriated celebrators while handing out glasses of standard military issue faux champagne to any idle and steady hand left. They let Duo drag them towards the genuine bottles Lady Une had procured for their little subsection of the party. He abandoned them to near-jump Heero, much to his chagrin not causing anywhere near enough of a reaction for even a drop to spill. Quatre nodded to them in solemn greeting, Trowa, Wufei, Une and Rashid following his cue. After dismissing his assaulter, Heero did the same.

"To the future!" someone in the larger crowd cried out, to cheers, raised glasses and repeated down-the-hatch calls. "To peace!" another shouted once the first salute died down, and the process repeated. From the corner of his eye, Howard caught the slight twitch in Noin's. He was about to put a hand to her shoulder, but she slipped away, hastily grabbing a glass from a passing waiter, ignoring the lack of quality. She raised her glass. "To friends not present!" she said in a strong, firm voice, it below and she above shouting.

The room felt eerily quiet, and she immediately felt as if the entire crowd was staring at her. A wiry, wrinkled hand took a firm hold of her shoulder. She glanced at Howard, and his glass. "To friends not present," he repeated, lifting it high.

Une nodded in agreement. "To friends not present," she said somberly. The pilots quickly followed her lead, as did the rest of the room, all drinking to that.

If there was anything the entire room had in common other than gain, it was loss - spirits high, high spirits, and spirits to remember.

-end-


	4. Glimpses

  
**Glimpses**   
  
_Contents/Warnings:_ Shounen Ai.   
_Pairing:_ 12   
_Disclaimer:_ See all the others; status unchanged. 

AN: Ficlet written for Challenge #6 ('Unfamiliar surroundings') at the gw500 LJ community. Somewhat of a side-bit for my fanfic 'White Plain'.

* * *

Of all the places Heero considered he might seek temporary refuge while on Earth, an old salvage ship was never among them. Yet he found himself on one, accepting the offer from the strange pilot with the unbelievably long braid after the not-quite successful escape from an Alliance research hospital. Even after applying one the rejuvenating saint-stims Dr. J had sent with him, he still needed time for his leg to heal. A few days, tops, if the stim injection was effective.

In the meantime, he had Wing to repair. Again, the other pilot had proved helpful, fishing both their Gundams up from the sea floor. The pilot - Duo, he had said his name was - also extended an offer to help repair Wing. Heero had declined; it was an unthinkable proposition. His life depended on the machine; he was not about to let a gang of strangers tinker with it - especially not someone like the ones currently repairing the structural damage to the black Gundam. Deathscythe, Duo had proudly proclaimed it as. The captain of the ship, and also the one leading the repair work, looked more like a leftover hippie than anything else. And the pilot was pure noise; best left ignored.

The crew picked up on his antisocial streak soon enough, as did the captain, Howard. They left him alone. Duo was another matter. The boy was determined, Heero had to give him that much. Still, he refused to let himself be friended; it did not suit his plans - which were short-term, to say the slightest. Why form attachments that might make him want to keep living, when he could be asked to sacrifice his life at any moment?

It took quite a while before Heero's complete disregard and blatant rejection did as planned - and so, he was alone... Save for the tiny nagging voice of regret wanting to cry out for the other boy to come back, not leave. Heero clenched his teeth, and tried to ignore it as well, focusing on the repairs.

He kept working for hours, every so often casting a glance at Deathscythe. Its repairs were almost complete. Wing still needed a few spare parts - replacements for damaged components. If he humbled himself into asking, maybe... He frowned, shook the thought away. He needed time to think out how to make do with the broken parts, and he needed a break - other than to his bones.

Heero wiped his forehead with a rag, tossed it aside. He instructed Wing's onboard computer to do a complete systems diagnostics, reached for a small bundle tucked behind the seat, closed the hatch and walked off.

The corridors of the ship were nearly deserted at this late hour. This suited Heero just fine. Duo had given him a quick tour of the ship when they had gotten aboard and were heading out to sea. Duo had supported him all the while so he wouldn't have to put weight on the bad leg. Heero had resented not being able to move on his own, but mapping the layout of the ship was important - he had to know escape routes, know where everything was. There was a reason he had been trained to recognize the in- and outsides of so many Alliance buildings. The unknown was always dangerous. Familarity made safe.

He reached his destination; the communal showers. Almost entirely plastic, of course. The showerheads and pipes were metal, but the walls, drains and floor were all covered in plastic if not of it, the floor treated to prevent slipping. The changing room and the showers were as abandoned as the rest of the ship.

He quickly stripped, discarding the sweaty clothes in a bundle next to the clean on a bench in the changing room. Only the state of the clothes and the addition of a towel atop the clean bundle distinguished them.

The cool water streamed harshly against his skin, washed away sweat and grime. He didn't bother to hurry - he had time, for once. It helped loosen his muscles, relax his mind as well as his body. More than once, he reached for the wall for support; he could not yet put full weight on the bad leg, no matter how far healed it was by now. Though his mind cleared, no effective way of repairing the broken parts came to him. In the end, he decided to sleep on it - or at least nap.

Satisfied with the wash, he shuffled back to the changing room, daring for a moment to let go of the wall to ruffle through his hair, pressing water from the wild brown down the back of his neck - and froze.

The clothes were gone.

All of them; clean and dirty alike.

Momentarily confused, he looked around, thinking he might have put them elsewhere than he remembered, but sterile plastics were all that he saw. He frowned, considering possibilities. One remained; someone had stolen them. What for, he couldn't surmise. Still, it left him wet and naked, soon cold also. He could wait for the perpetrator to return - which wasn't likely, or for others to show up - which he didn't much desire, or walk back to Wing for a spare outfit and another towel. He gritted his teeth. There wasn't really much choice.

The corridors were still deserted, which he was quite grateful for now. He walked steadily - as steadily as he could, with the bad leg. If anyone saw him, he didn't want to appear to huddle in shame of his nudity; he would rather be considered a naturist than a fool who had his clothes stolen from but a room away.

He stopped halfway down the last corridor. From the corner of his eye, he saw a door set ajar, and within the darkness, an eager eye and bits of a grin. Heero struggled not to attack, much less avoid frowning. He felt ridiculed and humiliated. The thief was most definitely identified now, he remembered whose quarters those were - but there was something to the way Duo not-so secretly watched him, something more than just amusement.

Lust.

It took him a little while to recognize it, but it was clearly there. Rather than trying to keep from frowning, he repressed a smirk, as well as the urge to do some quick stretches, bend to touch toes or even do jumping jacks, bad leg or no, just to gauge Duo's reactions; to leave the other unbalanced enough to maybe fall out the door and share the humiliation.

It was an odd feeling; being desired - desired for something other than his abilities as a soldier; a crafted prodigy. It was unlike anything he had ever felt - but he liked it. It opened... possibilities. Never mind friendship; there could be far more here. Yet, he felt unsure, even scared. It was not ground on which he had previously tread. To walk a minefield of fickle emotions without a map... Not a tempting idea. If there was to be something, it should be made to last, not lost early because of his inexperience. Patience was the key, patience and observations. Finally, he drooped his head, sighed, leant more heavily against the wall. The latter was a quick cover-up; pretending he was simply a little short of breath from his strenuous walk.

He hesitated for a second, seeing the boy behind the door startle a little, as if ready to spring to his aid. Heero resisted a smirk. So, he cared more for him than for a successful joke? Definitely possibilites. Then he abruptly resumed his walk. This was not the time for such confrontations. He had a Gundam to fix, battles to fight - if both of them came out of this alive, then maybe...

Still, an unidentifiable voice in the back of his head - that of pride, perhaps - let him know he could not let himself be utterly bested by someone's practical joke. Revenge was in order - though secondary to repairing his suit, and-

He smirked as he reached the repair bay. He had an idea how to get both. He'd deal with his third objective later - when things had cooled down again. And when said objective might not use that same passion he had seen to kill him on sight.

-end-


	5. And Much Wild Monkey Sex Ensued

  
**And Much Wild Monkey-Sex Ensued**   
  
_Contents/Warnings:_ Shounen Ai/Yaoi, odd humor.   
_Pairings:_ 1x2, 34   
_Disclaimer:_ See all the others; status unchanged. 

AN: Ficlet written for Challenge #6 ('Unfamiliar surroundings') at the gw500 LJ community.

* * *

And much wild monkey-sex ensued. There was no way to avoid it, really.

The group had once again relocated; a new day, a new safehouse. It wasn't much - six rooms in all, shared by five pilots. Four beds in three bedrooms, two living room couches, one decrepit old TV set and no cable.

They were stuck with the choice of local news, nature and science, home shopping and a home improvement marathon. They couldn't really go outside. The town they were hiding in was tiny enough for everyone to know everyone else. They would stick out a little too much.

Gardening shows and the like thus had little relevance, and while the news occasionally commented on the war and the Gundams, it was more propaganda than fact, and thus as pointless as the very local news.

They had watched the home shopping channel for a while, since Heero, wielder of the remote by right of grabbing it first, had been vaguely interested in the exercise machinery showcased. When he had caught a glance of his lover grinning and nearly ogling the various demonstrators, male and female alike, he had flipped channels in a heartbeat, though.

And so, they were stuck with nature and science - which wasn't all that bad. Wufei had chosen a good book over the various shows in the first place, and did his best to ignore the lovey-dovey couple snuggling on the other end of the couch, though throwing half-hearted glances at the TV set now and then.

That left only Heero and Duo actually watching - though, not necessarily interested. There had been a show on mobile suit mechanics that had been fairly decent, but it held nothing new, at least to them. Now, it switched to a nature program showcasing various animals, most of it shot in zoos. The commentary droned on and on about how endangered this and that species were, and how attempted breeding programs usually failed.

"Of _course_ they fail," Duo growled back at the TV.

"Hm?"

"Yeah, well, look at that poor guy," he stated, pointing at the sad face of an orangutan. "He and the mate are walled in by concrete and steel bars, put under constant supervision and just expected to go at it with wild monkey-sex. Never mind the two have never even _seen_ each other before. Geez..." Duo threw his arms up in frustration.

Wufei, Quatre and Trowa gave him a few seconds worth of attention; the former huffed it away and resumed reading, the latter caught hold of his smiling love's chin and coaxed him to a proper angle for another kiss.

Duo half-groaned at the obvious lack of support, and turned to his last resort, finding only cool blue eyes nearly frowning at him. He sighed in defeat. "Okay... Forget it." He slumped back into the couch.

"So..." Heero cautiously began, "you're saying that if they put caged animals back into the wilds, everything would work out?"

Shrug. "Probably not - but they could at least try to make the place more like home, and make it private. That poor chimp has got to have one heck of a huge performance pressure. No wonder he looks so depressed."

Heero smirked.

"At least they could have painted the walls, thrown some grass at the concrete, or something."

With an amused grunt, Heero got to his feet, tossed the remote to Trowa - who barely caught it in time, preoccupied as he was - and grabbed Duo's wrists, pulling him up of the couch.

"Hey, whats the big idea, Hee-" Tossed over shoulder. "-rooo?!"

Strong hand softly groping butt, other at thigh, for balance. Heero carried him towards their shared bedroom.

Duo hit Heero's back, since punching his jaw was tough from this angle. "Heero, what the heck-"

"Our wallpaper is green and we have two beds in our room," came the smug reply.

Duo was momentarily speechless, processing the sentence. He grinned, grabbed the hem of Heero's tank top and went at Heero's sides for a brief tickle.

They _did_ get over the threshold before Heero couldn't keep from cringing into laughter and finally lose his balance. "Why, you-"

And the door closed, much to the relief of the remaining three.

Caged pilots do best in private, anyway.

-end-


	6. Fruits

  
**Fruits**   
  
_Contents/Warnings:_ Shounen Ai, Sap, Duo POV, odd humor.   
_Pairing:_ 21   
_Disclaimer:_ See all the others; status unchanged. 

AN: Ficlet written for Challenge #7 ('Strawberry') at the gw500 LJ community.

* * *

It was the strawberry that did it - in the kitchen, with whipped cream. Never mind Professor Plum.

Back at the colonies, fresh fruit and vegetables weren't really part of my daily diet. There were agricultural colonies, and fairly steady shipments from Earth, but it cost too much. It's never easy to steal something that's valuable. Fresh fruit was expensive - and I don't want to even think what real meat cost. The poorer of us made due with the substitutes the protein recyclers, yeast vats and hydroponics bays could offer.

I had a blast when I got to Earth, and tasted the _real_ things. Sure, I'd had the occasional apple or carrot back on L2 - but I could easily mark each of those events off on a calendar, and still count more holidays. A lot more.

The day before, I had bought a small box of fresh strawberries at the market. It wasn't all that big a risk; the place we're hiding out these days is so remote the people barely know what a mobile suit is.

They _do_ know their produce, though.

Which was why it was doubly painful to come back, walk into the kitchen, and see an empty green plastic container, a small heap of stems and berry caps, a spray can of instant whipped cream and Heero about to bite into the last remaining strawberry, cream top and all, his juice-soaked fingers implying he'd already dealt with the rest.

I'd been looking forward to eating those strawberries all freakin' day while I was out on recon, and to say I was pissed at seeing Heero snatching them, was an understatement. It didn't take me even a split-second to decide I was at least going to get that last one.

Yeah, I assaulted him, pure and simple. Plumped down in his lap and went for it. Of course, Little Red Riding Hood was well on her way into the wolf at the time, so I only caught her tail, and I fought against Heero's surprised smirk for the rest. His hands went first to the napkin on the table, and then to me - but not to push me away.

You know, trying to fish something out of a chewing, smirking mouth is damn hard. More so when there's a tongue in there to fight, too. The bastard toyed with me. I made a final sweep of his mouth, and I knew it was all over.

So, I sat there, glaring daggers at him, while he remained smugness personified. Damn rat bastard. "So... If that's what I get for _one_ strawberry, what do I get for the other thirty-seven?"

I poked him repeatedly in the guts, hard. "What the hell are you talking about? I'm not a damn Hoover!"

He laughed. I applauded myself for resisting the urge to punch him. He wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. "I'd say the judges are still out on that one..."

I _really_ wanted to hit him then. At least smack him a little; he'd earned it. What I did was keep frowning at him, and growl. It's tough to hurt someone you really love - at least on purpose. I couldn't do it. He didn't seem to have a problem with it, though. "Jerkface. I was saving those, and you knew it!"

Still looking as smug as ever, he nodded. "I know." He reached over to the counter, and brought back a bowl I'd missed earlier - a bowl with all the missing strawberries. "I wanted to surprise you, so I washed them and picked them over for you. I..." And then the bastard had to go blush, if just a little. "I was hoping we could share them later - but I got so tempted, and I wanted one - just one, in advance."

So, he won me over. He always does. I've never been able to hold a real grudge on him. I can rage at him pretty good, but he knows the storm will pass, if he's patient. He knows me too well for my own good, sometimes.

We did share the strawberries later that evening; him and me on the couch, some movie or another on for cover, while we ate. The instant cream was sweet. The berries sweeter. Heero... was off the scale, at least to my tastes.

Heero might have plucked my berries that day, but I ended up picking his cherry.

-end-


	7. Top

  
**Top**   
  
_Contents/Warnings:_ Shounen Ai, twisted humor.   
_Pairings:_ 4x3, 1x2   
_Disclaimer:_ See all the others; status unchanged. 

AN: Ficlet written for Challenge #7 ('Strawberry') at the gw500 LJ community.

* * *

Three rings, a click. "Hi, this is Quatre."

"Hi, Quat," Duo began, suddenly noticing a squishy, nearly rhythmic background sound. "What's that?"

"What's what?" The sound continued.

"Uh, Quat - what are you doing?"

He could almost hear the smile across the wire. "Oh, I'm just topping-" Soft slap on skin, giggle. "_No_, Trowa!"

Duo's jaw drooped slightly. "Uh..." The half- rhythm returned. "Quat?"

"Huh? Ah, sorry, Duo. Trowa keeps distracting me here. He-" There was a mumbling sound in the background.

"What was that?"

"Oh, that was Trowa - he's trying to talk with his mouth full. See, he has-" Again, soft skin-slap. "I said _no_, love. Now stop that."

Duo felt his cheeks heat up. "Uhm, you sound busy - I'll call back later, and-"

"Oh, don't be silly, Duo - I'm using the handsfree set, so it's no bother at all. I'm just about done here, anyway." All the while, the suggestive noise kept at it, distorted only a little by the carrier wave.

"Uh, well-"

Another slap. "Keep still, Trowa. I'm almost done, and _then_-" Sound stop, stretched soft sigh. There was a clinking sound Duo couldn't quite figure out what was. The rest, he'd gotten far too graphic images of - among other things. "There, that wasn't so hard, was it, Trowa?" A scraping noise. "Here, all yours, big boy."

Duo shook his head, not sure if he was glad Quatre hadn't answered on the vidphone, or not. "Okay, just what the _heck_ were you guys doing?"

Chuckle. "I told you - I was topping strawberries. Trowa's such a munchkin, though - he didn't want to wait until I was done, and I had to slap his fingers- Hey, leave some for me, Trowmph-" Two quick chews. "Sorry about that, he stuffed a berry in my mouth."

Duo's jaw worked, no sound came. Instead, he admired the nice shade of strawberry his face had adopted in the mirror behind the phone desk. "S-Strawberries?"

"Yeah..." He almost heard the blond brow raise. "Duo? What did you think I was doing?"

"Uh - never mind, Quat. I - I - Oh, the reason I called. Heero and I wondered if you guys wanted to come over for pizza tonight? We have some new movies too."

Quatre hurriedly relayed the message to Trowa. A mumbled answer was heard. "Trowa says yes... I think." Chuckle. "I'll tell him to save some room for pizza."

Grin. "Great. See you guys later, then. Bye, Quat."

"Bye, Duo." Click.

Duo was left in silence, admiring his reflected embarrassment. And then there was the situation down south he was left with. An idea, Cheshire cat grin. "Heero?"

"Hm?" came the reply from the kitchen.

"I kinda need your help on a few things."

"Like what?"

"One, could you come over here to give me a..." Quick glance down. "-hand... and two, do we have any strawberries in the fridge? I have to call Wufei next, and Quatre gave me this really naughty idea..."

-end-


	8. Roses

  
**Roses**   
  
_Contents/Warnings:_ Shounen Ai, fluff.   
_Pairings:_ 12, 34   
_Disclaimer:_ See all the others; status unchanged. 

AN: Ficlet written for Challenge #7 ('Strawberry') at the gw500 LJ community.

* * *

Heero picked up the box on his pillow, read the little heart-shaped card. 'To Heero, love, Duo.' The lid came off easily, revealing the small bits of chocolate within. He frowned, puzzled.

A knock at the door. "Yes?"

Trowa came in, a bouquet of red roses in one hand. "I'm going out to- Hey, what's that?"

"A gift from Duo. I can't figure out what for, though. He invented birthdays for us, but that's not for another-"

Trowa chuckled. "It's for Valentine's Day, Heero."

Frown. "For what?" And thus, Trowa hastily tried to explain why on this day above all others, you'd give your loved one something beautiful, or something sweet, or both - anything that reminded you of your loved one, to show how much said person is appreciated and adored.

He didn't quite get through.

"So, I have to buy him something?"

Soft smile. "That's the general idea - I got these flowers for Quatre. He likes roses. Maybe Duo would like flowers, too?"

Scoff. "Yeah, right. Duo picking flowers over food."

Chuckle.

"It's the thought that counts, right?"

Nod.

Grunt. "Flowers it is, then. Thanks, Trowa."

Amused smile. "You're welcome, Heero."

-------

After some searching, Heero ran across an open flower shop. An old lady sat attendance outside, petting her cat. He was about to ask her when a young, brown-haired boy interrupted. "Hi - may I help you?"

Curt nod. "I need roses."

The boy looked startled, then broke into a smile, sighing. "I'm sorry, but..." He gestured toward the display window; empty for all but some potted plants and other unsuitable flora. "This late on Valentine's Day, without a pre-order, you'll be hard pressed to find nice flowers _anywhere_." He chuckled. "It's worse than Christmas."

Heero frowned. "I'll get him some candy, then."

The boy shrugged, and shook his head. "Same thing. The shops are probably stripped by those who didn't remember the date until it was too late."

Frown to scowl.

Tilt of head, inquisitiveness. "Your boyfriend likes flowers, then?"

Shrug. "More of a food person."

Chuckle, folded arms. "Then I think I have another suggestion - also tough to get, this time of year, but..."

And Heero listened.

-------

By the time Duo returned, Heero had been sitting in the couch for hours, waiting. The box of chocolates rested at the table. Duo's eyes were locked on the big, wrapped bouquet in Heero's lap, though.

"Here," Heero offered. "Happy Valentine's Day."

Duo grinned. "For me? Thanks, Heero." Quick peck on the cheek, rapid unwrap. "Never would have thought you'd buy me flow-" He paused. Within the wrapper was not a bouquet of flowers, as he had been led to believe. Instead, the thin, transparent plastic with pin supports hidden within the wrapping was filled with clean, topped strawberries. Duo raised a brow, puzzled. "Strawberries?"

Heero looked away. "Sorry. I wanted to get you roses, but there weren't any left." Shy glance. "Strawberries are in the rose _family_, though."

Puzzlement to big grin. Duo stuck his hand into the original container, took a berry for a taste. "Mmmm - these are damn good, Heero. Thank you."

Heero allowed himself a slight smile.

Duo picked out another strawberry, held it out towards Heero, grinning. "Open wide."

Obedience. Chew. Smile.

And then, Duo kissed him tenderly, making it all the sweeter.

-end-


	9. Still Point

  
**Still Point**   
  
_Contents/Warnings:_ Duo POV, introspective, pre-series.   
_Pairing:_ None   
_Disclaimer:_ See all the others; status unchanged. 

AN: Ficlet written for Challenge #8 ('Colony') at the gw500 LJ community.

* * *

Nearly all the colonies have the same basic things - recycler units for air and water, extra shielding and pulse cannons to fend off stray meteors and drifting space debris, solar arrays to harness sunlight, and fusion reactors in case a meteor made it through to smash the fragile mirrors. While they vary a lot in size and shape, those things are always there.

Nearly all of them also use rotation to fake gravity. It's by far the most cost-effective way. Tractor pads use too much energy. Now, there's only a single distance from the center where you have Earth normal - one gravity. There's a slight comfort zone up and down from that. Some prefer to live in the upper layers, where the gravity is less. The outer levels are used mostly for exercise - the extra gravity makes it a more intensive thing. Of course, then there's the dead center of the gigantic bulk of spinning metal.

Zero gravity.

That's usually the deal, anyway. Some colonies have wide-open outer space there, preferring the complete donut principle. Most don't, since they prefer the added structural strength by cross-barring the center, but they like to stick other things there, like a fusion reactor or other fun stuff.

The colony I grew up on didn't. Instead, there was a small storage room there. Obviously, it wasn't /meant/ for storage; the guys that built the place must have wanted a playroom. Me and the guys found it by pure luck, roaming through the maintenance ducts on the higher levels, finding one shaft leading right up to spin-center. It quickly became the playroom of us street rats, too. See, it was small enough that you could jump from one side to the other without being smashed into a pulp as you hit the spinning wall, and it was small enough that you could jump right into the spin-center of the whole colony.

That was the fun part - trying to find the still point; the point where you just hang there, room and friends all around you. Sure, after flight came fall, and we all got a fair amount of cuts, bumps and bruises - but as long as we avoided falling into any of the four maintenance shafts, it was okay.

It wasn't just a matter of jumping up there, either. Reaching the place was easy enough. /Staying/ there was the tough part. It took a lot of practice. For those of us who never got that far, there was the in-flight acrobatics. That room saw a lot of laughter, before the plague came. They closed a lot of passageways, including the shafts, to limit the spread of it.

Now, I'm on another colony. Maybe the last I'll ever be on. This one too has an empty center, but it's larger. The fall could be deadly, if not done right. I came here to search for that still point again. It's a very good place to think, or not think at all. Zero gravity out in open space is different; there, you're always falling. In here, you're not, if you keep your balance - which is damn hard with nothing to balance /of/. No ground, no walls, no safety line, no thruster guns.

Old man Pestilence will come looking for me soon - he can guess where I am. I think he actually intends to go through with the whole crazy plan - drop a colony and secure Earth in the aftermath. That's why I'm here. I'm trying to figure out what /I/ want to do. I never signed on to be a pawn.

From the still point, all is shown before you. Nothing escapes you; all revolves around you. That's what I need now - to see everything from the center, to find the balance, the path I need to choose. Maybe, if I rest in the still point long enough, I can find a way to share it with everyone else, too.

But meanwhile, the colony keeps on spinning...

-end-


	10. Mouthful

  
**Mouthful**   
  
_Contents/Warnings:_ Shounen Ai, fluff, Duo POV.   
_Pairing:_ 12   
_Disclaimer:_ See all the others; status unchanged. 

AN: Ficlet written for Challenge #9 ('Melting') at the gw500 LJ community.

* * *

I dropped my spoon.

Hospital food tastes bad, plain and simple. Don't let anyone ever tell you differently. You'd think I had learned not to be so damn picky about it, but no. Nearly all of the food is soft or mashed, too. I'd give a lot for a raw carrot or fresh apple to chew on. Dinner isn't supposed to be eaten through a straw - not unless you're in zero-g; then those plastic packages with straws come in handy.

Of course, there is _one_ fairly okay part of the meal - desserts. I say fairly, 'cause they always make some mistake or other with it, or turn what could have been delicious into a tasteless mush. Today was no different. Sure, it was ice-cream - but it was pure vanilla; absolutely no condiments. I considered bribing my quiet, grouchy pal standing by the window to fetch me some chocolate sauce or something, anything to spice up the bland treat - but he was brooding on something or other, looking outside and generally avoiding glancing my way while I ate dinner.

Still, it was ice-cream; something to be enjoyed - and I did. Then he said it, and the spoon just... fell back down into the bowl in my lap with a soft splash and some clattering.

I couldn't believe what I had just heard. No, it certainly wasn't a _bad_ thing, but my mind was more than willing to jump to conclusions on those few words, especially given who they came from. It was unreal - I gaped at him. I couldn't think of any reply; not a witty thing to joke it away, not an acceptance, not a serious retort nor a cautious quest for affirmation of my imaginative interpretation of those few, simple words.

There was no way he meant it like I thought he did. He couldn't. Why would he?

I must have sat there looking like an absolute fool for several minutes. He cocked his head slightly, took a step closer. When I still didn't respond, he sat down at the side of my bed. "Are you okay, Duo?"

I wasn't, really. I was feeling all gooey inside - much like what the bowl of ice-cream in my lap was rapidly becoming.

Heero pointed at the bowl. "Aren't you going to eat that?"

That would have been a perfect time for a lewd joke, but my mind wasn't quite there. It was preoccupied enough with stuttering out a question. "Could - could you run that by me again?"

He snorted softly, smirked just a little. "Aren't you going to eat your ice-cream before it melts?"

"Huh?" I cleverly replied. Brain catching up, I shook my head. "Not _that_. That - that other part." I gulped, praying he didn't notice - especially if I got it wrong.

When his smirk mellowed into a faint smile, and his cheeks warmed with soft pink, I knew I hadn't. And then he said it again. "I like you."

-end-


	11. Challenges

  
**Challenges**   
  
_Contents/Warnings:_ Shounen Ai, slight silliness   
_Pairing:_ 12   
_Disclaimer:_ See all the others; status unchanged. 

AN: Ficlet written for Challenge #10 ('Ten') at the gw500 LJ community. Thanks to nayloushka9 for beta-reading.

* * *

"Hey, _there_ you are!"

Heero grunted in affirmation, but otherwise remained still, frowning, leaning up against the wall in a nearly vacant section of the big ballroom. Quatre had gathered them at one of the Winner mansions to celebrate the imminent arrival of 198 AC.

Duo put his arms akimbo, grinning. "Oh, come _on_ - you're not still pissed over that picture, are you?"

He _was_ - granted, not as much as he had been immediately after the fact. All the guests, most of them good friends and the closest they had to family, had been gathered up for a group photo. Duo hadn't been happy with Heero's sullen expression, and every attempt at making him smile to the photographer had failed. In the end, he chose the exact moment of the snapshot to pinch Heero's butt. "_You_ are the reason I'll look like an absolute idiot on that photograph, gaping in surprise. It doesn't help any that you're grinning like a maniac right beside me."

Snicker. "So what if they figure the connection? You've never complained before - and it's not like we're still 'in hiding', right?"

Sigh, dim smile. "True..."

Duo tilted Heero's chin up. "See, there ya go. Problem solved." Quick, light kiss. "So, what's bugging you?"

Heero straightened himself up, pushed away from the wall, and wrapped one arm around Duo's waist, moving their sides together. Duo reciprocated. Heero sighed. "It's nothing. It's... I just feel out of place here."

"Are you kiddin'?"

"I feel like I'm intruding on an established group ritual, and-"

"Would you quit blaming yourself for being hospitalized the two times - count them, _two_ - the gang has been together for New Years? Quatre and Hilde had beds in the same darn hospital as you that first year, and-"

Heero's smile brightened a tad. "Yeah, I know... Maybe I prefer to be alone with you, that's all."

Duo blinked, grinned, and was about to give a slightly naughty reply, when Quatre came over and interrupted that plan. "Hi, guys - enjoying the party?"

Out of the blond's line of sight, Duo dipped his hand down Heero's back pocket, giving a slight pinch. This time, however, Heero was prepared, and his face remained almost unchanged - though he smirked as he retaliated with a similar grope. "Uh- Oh, sure. Yeah, Heero and I were-" Duo's eyes locked on the odd beverage in Quatre's glass. "What's that pink slush?"

"Hm? Oh, this?" Quatre took a sip from the straw, and reached for the small spoon beside it. "It's a Strawberry Special. It starts out as a dessert dish, and as it melts, it becomes a drink." He dug up a tiny portion of the frosting left floating on top.

Amused grunt. "Sounds more like ice-cream to me."

Shrug, smile. "I suppose it is - only, it melts faster, and is more viscous. It's quite good - please ask the bartender, if you want to give it a try." Wink. "I'm sure there's a bigger option with two straws and one spoon, if that sounds better."

Duo grinned. "Thanks, Quat. Maybe we'll try that later." Pause. "Where are Trowa and Wufei? I haven't seen them in a while."

Quatre paused mid-sip. "Oh - Wufei went out for some air some time ago, and Trowa's giving the Times Square mock-up outside a final check. We wouldn't want the ball to stop in mid-fall, right?"

Chuckle. "Well, I still say you should have gone with my idea instead."

Heero could almost feel the temperature drop as Quatre's cheerful expression shaped into a cold frown. "Duo, I will _not_ replace the replica of the ball with a mock-up of a colony - and that's final." And he left hurriedly.

Heero sighed, tightened his hold on Duo. "You really shouldn't have made that suggestion. It's bad taste."

Snort. "Drop a ball, drop a colony, same difference. I still think it would have been a good joke."

Quick glance. "You didn't do it, right?"

"Do what?"

"Make a last minute swap?"

Grin. "What do _you_ think?"

Sigh, headshake. "Duo..."

Laugh, kiss. "You really think that little of me, do you, huh? No, of course I didn't. Wouldn't want to hurt Quatre's feelings. Besides, I'd have to fight Trowa to get that far."

Smirk, grunt.

"It's the final minute, people!" a voice sounded above the low chatter of the ballroom.

Duo and Heero locked eyes, crept slowly closer until their foreheads touched. "Dare stick with me for another year, Heero?"

Chuckle. "Oh, I think I'm ready for the challenge..."

The people on the porch outside, as well as those still inside, began pairing up, and all spoke with near unison voice. "Ten... Nine... Eight..."

-------

In case you missed the ten first gw500 challenges;   
Cold   
Changing of the Year   
Photograph   
Digging   
Party   
Unfamiliar Surroundings   
Strawberry   
Colony   
Melting   
Ten   
  
(My apologies, couldn't resist)

-end-


	12. Fingertips

  
**Fingertips**   
  
_Contents/Warnings:_ Shounen Ai, Duo POV   
_Pairing:_ 12   
_Disclaimer:_ See all the others; status unchanged. 

AN: Ficlet written for Challenge #11 ('Rhythm') at the gw500 LJ community.

* * *

Just once, I'd like to get through breakfast in peace. Heck, I almost did, this time. With the other guys away on missions, only Heero and I are left at the safehouse, and he's usually very quiet.

Key word being _usually_.

I still have half a sandwich, a cup of coffee and most of the morning paper to go. He's all done. He's also tapping his fingers at the table; four steady beats to the wood, short pause, four beats, pause... It's irritating, and damn distracting. I shoot him an annoyed glance. I get a cold, miffed glare in return. He's impatient. He asked me a question a little earlier, and didn't like the answer I gave him. Now, he's waiting for me to change my answer.

Four beats, pause. Four beats...

I try to ignore it and concentrate on my paper. I take a bite of the sandwich, and wash the dry thing down with coffee. He still glares icicles at me. I can't help but wonder what's next - will he give me a quivering bottom lip, or even an outright pout, just to get his way? I wouldn't put it past him.

Four beats, pause. Four beats...

The bastard knows it's working, too. He's only testing my resolve now; trying to see how long I can stand the little annoyance. From the corner of my eye, I can see him forcing back a smirk. He's gradually losing control over it.

Four beats, pause. Four beats...

I'm wavering. He's always been a bit slow to take the initiative. It's always been my job to get things started. Maybe I should grant him this much. Still...

Four beats, pause. Four beats...

I growl. I've had it. I give him my best frown. "Okay, okay, okay - _fine_. I'll let you lick whipped cream off my chest later. Now quit that and let me finish breakfast!"

The drumming stops cold. The damn bastard grins openly at me now, his eyes grows lecherous and predatory, giving me a sense of being devoured already.

With a grunt, I return to my dry sandwich, boring paper and cooling coffee. Maybe I can still-

You know that expression, 'give someone the tip of your finger, and they'll take the whole arm'? I think Heero does. Either that, or he can read my mind. If so, giving him naughty thoughts at opportune moments could be amusing.

Of course, _now_ isn't one of those times.

"And eat cherries out of your navel."

Again, I growl at him, and rustle the pages of the paper, holding it up as a defensive barrier.

Four beats, pause. Four beats...

Paper down to table. I scowl at him, far stronger than he did to me earlier. His face wears that damn knowing smirk again, he's only waiting for me to cave again.

Four beats, pause. Four beats...

He knows I will, too. I fight the urge to grin back at him. I lose.

But in the end, we _both_ win.

-end-


	13. Hope

  
**Hope**   
  
_Contents/Warnings:_ Shounen Ai   
_Pairing:_ 34   
_Disclaimer:_ See all the others; status unchanged. 

AN: Ficlet written for Challenge #12 ('Whisper') at the gw500 LJ community.

* * *

Trowa tightened the chord of his duffle bag and tossed it over his shoulder. It was high time to leave, all things considered. The blond kid's kindness had been a welcome break, but last night hadn't made Trowa feel less uneasy about staying; quite the contrary. The desert mansion might be lavish, and the underground facilities were quite impressive - but the walls were thin. Much too thin. Especially when you put your ear to them.

That's what Trowa had done last night. His guest quarters were right next to the room his host was using, and both their beds were pushed up against the same wall. Trowa had had trouble sleeping, and noticed the muffled voice and the sounds of the shuffles and turns of a dormant person. Curious, he'd put his ear to the wall to listen. The blond kid was talking in his sleep. At first, Trowa had thought the mutterings were but the randomness of dreams. Then he had listened.

"Mmmph-Couldn't hurt another Gundam pilot..." He heard the body roll over, voice crushed against a pillow. Another turn, a giggle. "Mmm-damn _gorgeous_ Gundam pilot..." Again, Trowa heard the body shift. There were more words; sweet, almost random ones - but those, Trowa barely registered.

He blew a stray hair back up in his bang. Yep, he had definitely stayed here too long. If the blond had an ulterior motive, he wouldn't stay here to find out. Trowa didn't think that was the case, though. Something about the kid just shone of honesty, leadership and dedication, and it reflected in the behavior of his entourage. They weren't merely mercenaries, as Trowa had first guessed. The relationship appeared much more complex.

As he climbed out the window - not wanting to use the door, as he was sure to be noticed - the words echoed in his mind, as well as implications and interpretations of it. Trowa admitted to himself he found the blond attractive - his own preferences were not an issue; his experiences, or lack thereof, were. There had always been one battle or another to fight - like now. If his guess was right, the blond liked him, too - but what could they possibly do about it?

He knew he was fleeing - it wasn't that he was afraid to love or be loved; it was the timing that was off. War isn't the time for such things; right now he had to make war instead. He reached the ground, and hurried to the trailer.

Then the kid was in the window, shouting after him. Trowa bit his lip, unable to ignore the call. They talked. He got a name, gave one back.

_Quatre_... Trowa shrugged as he got in the truck. The name had a nice ring to it, he decided. There was something about Quatre's words - his tone of voice - that mirrored the sleepy mumbling. Maybe there was something there. Trowa smiled serenely to himself. Maybe, if they both survived... Maybe, if Quatre truly felt that way... Just maybe.

Trowa decided he would hang on to that, draw hope from it. Up until that moment, he had lived each day as if it was the last, the potential sudden end not a case for concern. Now, he wanted to live; hope was something to live for, despite how it was but a faint whisper of light in a long, dark night.

-end-


	14. Special Blends

  
**Special Blends**   
  
_Contents/Warnings:_ Shounen Ai/Yaoi, Heero POV, fluff, bad wordplays   
_Pairing:_ 1x2   
_Disclaimer:_ See all the others; status unchanged. 

AN: Ficlet written for Challenge #13 ('beverage') at the gw500 LJ community.

* * *

One of the first things Duo and I bought together, was a blender. Nothing fancy, just a standard unit. We had just shacked up together after the war, both freelancing for the Preventers and needing a place close to headquarters. When the topics of interior decorating, furniture and appliances came up, we argued. A lot.

We managed to compromise, which wasn't that easy. He's fond of clear-cut black and whites, but I wanted vibrant colors. I wanted the place to look more alive; black and white always results in a dim gray in my eyes. Duo disagreed. He argued we'd be what made the place lively and colorful, not the paint on the walls or paisley-patterned upholstery. As it turned out, he was right - but he settled for allowing me a black-and-white-framed rainbow of a living environment anyway.

On the other hand, when it came to appliances, I wanted the simple things, while he wanted any fancy doodad within sight. Again, we compromised. Our relationship, turbulent as it can be, survives largely because of those. Duo would probably joke about sex having something to do with it too.

Yeah, there _is_ something special about make-up sex.

The blender was, oddly enough, not a compromise. We both wanted the exact same model. He wanted one for his fruit shakes, I for my power blends. The problems surface when we both want to use it in the morning, both needing our own special fix.

Lucky for me, I tend to wake up early.

Unlucky for me, untangling myself from Duo without him waking up isn't easy.

I won't tell you of the many fights we've had over who gets to use the bathroom first.

This morning, I had escaped his grasp unnoticed, and after finishing up at the bathroom, gone to the kitchen to prepare my wake-up call. After I sliced up the various substances - I won't tell you or anyone else which; it's my secret recipe - I put them in the blender and let it rip, and moved the contents to a glass pitcher when it was done.

On second thought, I might tell Duo, if he ever shows an interest - but other than that, the recipe stays with me.

As I poured myself a glass from the pitcher filled with the light brown liquid, I heard Duo finish in the bathroom. I felt generous this morning, so I washed and prepared the blender for his use after I was done with it. Only fair, given how much he gave me the night before.

Maybe that's why I escaped so easily; he was too tired to notice.

"Morning."

He yawns, mumbles the same in reply. Almost on automatic, he heads for the fridge, picks out the soft fruits of his choice, cuts and cleans them and puts them in the blender along with whatever else his improvised natural sugar rush is to contain this morning.

Needless to day, I can never figure out _his_ recipe - he doesn't _have_ one.

I smirk, put my morning paper down as he brings the jar of pink fluid to the table, along with his favorite mug - a white ceramic thing with a red heart containing the words 'World's Greatest Lover'. Who am I to argue? "Enjoying your 'Duo Mixwell Special'?"

Despite rubbing his eyes, he isn't _that_ tired; he noticed. With a grin, he points to my glass. "And what about your 'Gooey Yuy Twist'?"

I chuckle. "It's fine, thanks - want some?"

His time to laugh. "Hell, no." He pours himself a cup of the thick, strawberry-tinted shake, and downs half of it in one gulp. "If it tastes as bad as it looks... Well, that thing doesn't look even remotely drinkable."

"It is." I demonstrate. "It's good for the body - it contains-"

Duo waves me off. "Yeah, yeah, yeah - so it's really wholesome - but with you, the more healthy something is, the worse it tastes. That fish dish you made last Saturday-" He shakes his head just before I start glaring at him. Lucky for him he decides not to reopen that argument. It had lasted for three hours - the extra hour I spent locked up in the bathroom venting steam afterwards not included.

Good thing it was a Sunday the day after.

"Anyway, you tailor those things for your own body, don't you?"

I shrug. "Not this time. This is the generic blend."

He gulps down more of his fruit shake, raises a brow. "You mean experimental, and you want me as a guinea pig?"

I chuckle again. "I've already had some."

His time to shrug. The mischievous smile returns. "A valued second opinion, then."

I pour up another glass, making a show of the substances not completely mashed as they float over the edge of the pitcher. "I suppose..." I push it over to him.

Duo grins, takes it as a dare, and chugs it down in one gulp. His face contorts immediately, part theatrical, part gut reaction. Or rather, taste bud reaction. It _does_ taste better than it looks, in my opinion, but he doesn't seem to agree. He coughs, hits his chest once. "Uh, not that bad, but..." His jaw and tongue works a few times. "It's got a damn awful aftertaste. Yuck." He reaches for his own beverage, covering my version of healthy with his own.

Yeah, I can't deny that most of the stuff he puts in his potion is sensible. It's more the completely random mix of it that has me hesitant.

He pushes his mug over to me, heart side facing me. "Here, your turn."

I give a slight snort in amusement, and accept his offer. His fruit shake is sweet, and fairly thick. The strawberries have tinted the flavor as much as the color, but I think I also identify the bananas I saw him slice. I'm not sure if he added some whipping cream in addition to the milk, but it feels that way.

I put the mug down. "Well, the Duo Mixwell Special isn't half-bad, either, but-" And I suddenly realize Duo isn't sitting at the opposing end of the table anymore. I feel a tap on my shoulder, and face the grin. He places a finger under my chin, tilts my head a little and kisses me tenderly. I surrender to him this time, feel his tongue rake across my lips as he sits down in my lap.

Duo relents, bright eyes focusing on mine. "At least it has a lot better aftertaste."

Again, I have to agree, but beyond a slight smile, I don't say so.

He gives the tip of my nose a quick kiss. "You know, I hope that's the last time you try to use any of those 'cute' nicknames. You sound like a phone salesman getting the name all wrong."

I grunt, and smirk. "But your name lends itself to it so well - Mixwell, Maxwall, Maxtell."

He chuckles. "Gooey, Gluey, Bluey."

"Maxwool, Maxwill, Maxhell," I counter.

"Ha!" he states indignantly, before retorting. "Muy Yewwie, Suuey".

"Suuey?"

He grins. "Yeah - like the hog call."

Another grunt escapes me.

Laugh. "See? It works!"

I shake my head. "Mockswell, Saxwell, Maxfill." Yeah, I'm running short of good ideas.

He notices - but has the same problem, thankfully. "Dooey Blewie, Bob."

My turn to laugh. "Bob?"

He shrugs. "When all else fails, always turn to Bob." He ruffles my bangs, brushes them aside. The mischievous grin returns. He gives my forehead a quick kiss, before whispering in my ear. "Screwie..."

I can't help but grin at that. "Sexwell," I answer.

His eyes sparkle but inches away from mine. Sometimes, we think _too_ much alike - not that I'm about to object.

Work has to wait a while that morning. Some things are worth even facing an irate Lady Une.

-end-


	15. Stray Bullet

  
**Stray Bullet**   
  
_Contents/Warnings:_ None   
_Pairing:_ None   
_Disclaimer:_ See all the others; status unchanged. 

AN: Ficlet written for Challenge #14 ('lost item') at the gw500 LJ community.

* * *

"Damn it, I _know_ it's here somewhere..." Duo was frantically searching their temporary dormitory hideout; closets, dressers, desks and beds in disarray. This chaos - and Duo the whirlwind at the center of it - was what greeted Heero as he returned from a quick check-up on Wing.

"What are you doing?" he inquired, voice flat, leaning back against the wall.

"My bullet."

Folded arms. "Bullet?"

Duo shoved the lowest dresser drawers back in, mission at a loss. "Yeah - I had a special one, with my name engraved on it. Made it myself. I kinda like to keep track of where the damn thing is."

Half a smirk. "You shouldn't worry about that one. Worry about all the blank ones."

At any other time, Duo might have laughed, or joked that meant Trowa was in trouble, 'no-name', and all. Now, he barely bothered to grunt in acknowledgement, before resuming his search.

"I didn't figure you for being superstitious."

Brief pause. Duo sat down on the flipped mattress of his bunk. "Yeah, well... I guess it's a result of being a survivor - when you always escape scot-free, while others die in plagues, or fires, or missions gone really, really bad, you begin to wonder _why_, right? Calling it 'luck' is just not a good enough explanation. 'Karma' doesn't sound right either, given some of the things I've done - can't imagine the man upstairs has me in a particularly good light." He leant back, stretched his arms, took a deep breath and sighed. "So, I turn to my bullet - makes me feel I'm holding my destiny in my own hands. Feels less random than luck or karma."

Snort. "And you think a charm is less arbitrary? Duo, you survived because you did. Because of who you are. It happened, deal with it."

Lopsided grin. "Always the fatalist, huh? You still think your life is cheap, don't you?"

Heero didn't bother to reply beyond a shrug.

"Well, don't. Stick around for a while. You kinda learn to appreciate it when those around you start dying - especially those you care for." Wry grin. "Not that I think _you_ would have that problem, ice-man."

Scowl. "I care for more things than you know."

Chuckle. "Oh, yeah? Like what?"

Heero hesitated to answer, moved over to the window and stared blankly out of it. "Winning this war, for one thing."

Duo snorted. "Oh, give me a break - you _know_ this whole thing is a suicide mission, right? Sure, we're winning our battles, at least for now, but the whole damn _war_? Gundams are great, and we're their match, but you know what the real killer in warfare is, right?"

Nod. "Attrition."

Snap of fingers. "Exactly. They outnumber us. We can't keep up forever, unless something unexpected happens."

The room fell silent for several minutes, before Heero broke the tranquility. "You've lost more than that charm of yours, Duo."

Grin. "What, you saying I'm ugly?" Chuckle to the frown. "Okay, bad joke - what do you mean?"

"Hope, Duo. You've lost hope."

Sigh. "No, I haven't - just being realistic."

Frown. "Quit trusting things like that bullet. Trust yourself. Otherwise, you'll be nothing but a liability to the rest of us."

Snort. "Gee, thank you, mister compassion."

Scowl. "Duo, as another sold-" He cut himself short. "As a _friend_ - take the advice. Being realistic about this is commendable - but if you want to survive, you need to keep fighting, not give up."

Another snort. "Look who's talking. You've risked your hide-"

Heero kicked off the wall, and started walking away. "I said I think _my_ life is cheap - I never said anything about those of others - or yours." As he reached for the door, a small gleaming piece of metal by the door threshold caught his eye. He bent down to pick it up, verifying ownership. "Hey, Duo - catch." He tossed the bullet at Duo - who first scrambled to catch it, but changed his mind at the last minute, stepping back and letting it fall to the floor, rolling in under an overturned dresser drawer. Heero frowned. "Duo - what-"

Half-hearted grin. "Well, you didn't think I'd want to _catch_ a bullet with my name on it, did you? Would kinda spoil the whole superstition thing." He dared a chuckle, then reached under the drawer to take the charm out.

Heero snorted. "I'm taking a walk - I expect you to clean up the mess you've caused before I return."

Full grin now. "Hey, don't I always?"

After giving a disregarded glare, Heero chose to simply walk out. To his credit, he didn't even slam the door.

-end-


	16. Watch

  
**Watch**   
  
_Contents/Warnings:_ Shounen Ai, fluff.   
_Pairing:_ 12   
_Disclaimer:_ See all the others; status unchanged. 

AN: Ficlet written for Challenge #16 ('red') at the gw500 LJ community. Set in the immediate EW aftermath.

* * *

At first, all Heero saw was dark - but it grew brighter, gray and red mixing. As his brain slowly came out of unconsciousness, he realized his eyelids were closed. His right hand felt clammy; it was trapped in another. Tentatively, Heero opened his eyes in thin slits, adjusting to the bright hues of the room, dark orange sunlight of morning playing on the white walls. _A hospital,_ he assumed, slowly remembering. Shifting his gaze a little, he saw Duo, and wondered which of them looked the more exhausted. The braided boy's eyes were severely bloodshot and puffy, and the smile on his lips was obviously an effort to keep. "Red to Yellow. You're awake," Duo whispered, voice a bit hoarse.

Heero was able to nod, smacked his dry lips.

Duo reached for a water bottle on the bedstand, and guided the straw to Heero's lips, clammy grip still on Heero's right hand; even a bit firmer.

"How long?" Heero managed to croak out after a few sips.

"Three days now. You almost had me worried there..."

Heero tugged on a smile, tried to squeeze Duo's hand in return, but couldn't muster much strength.

"Does it bother you? The hand, I mean?"

"No!", Heero hissed, finally managing to close his fingers properly.

Duo smiled at him, lifted the hand carefully, smoothed the moisture with caresses, before bending down to kiss the back of it.

Heero raised his fingers, touched Duo's cheek, grazing over to the side of his nose. "You've been crying..."

Snicker. "No..." Heero knew it was a lie, but said nothing. "I just haven't slept well in the last few days, that's all."

"Have you slept at all, Duo?"

Sigh, shrug. "Any sleep is good sleep."

_That's a no, then,_ Heero surmised. "The others?"

"They're Yellow to Green. Told them to go home and rest - tend to their own cuts and bruises. They weren't in all that good shape, either. I practically had to threaten Relena last night to get her to go nap in the room next door. She's been so afraid of losing a friend, Heero."

_Meaning you have been too,_ Heero concluded, but didn't bother to say. Duo's pride was worth a little silence. "Duo, you should rest too."

Slight frown. "I'm not leaving - not until you do."

Heero struggled to smile again. "That might take a while... Duo, come here... lie down with me."

Duo shook his head. "Can't do that - I might hurt you. You're the one just through surgery, not me. You're still Yellow."

Resigned grunt. "You won't. Come." Heero saw him hesitate, and went for the kill, trying for a pout. "Please?"

Whether or not he succeeded at the latter, he did succeed at the former, and Duo struggled to shift Heero a little to the far side, so he could slip in alongside him on the sturdy hospital bed. Heero coaxed Duo to rest his head against his chest, well out of the way of the stomach stitches, regaining enough strength in his left arm to reach out and urge Duo's eyelids closed. He caressed the cheek, before resting his arm so his palm could pet the hair, both that which was still in a braid, and the strands that were attempting to escape.

Duo sighed. "If Relena comes back and sees us like this, she'll kill me - or at least put me in Red for a while."

Heero smiled, tried to laugh, but fell short. "It's not like she doesn't know about us, Duo..."

"Yeah, I know... But it feels like rubbing it in her face, with the big crush she had on you, and all..."

With considerable effort, Heero tilted his neck enough to allow him to touch his lips to the top of Duo's head. "She's a big girl now... She can take it." A happy sigh. "I'd never let her hurt you, Duo - or you her, for that matter. Sleep now, Duo. Condition Green. I'll take the next watch."

It took but two heartbeats before he knew his command had been obeyed.

-end-


	17. Reminiscence

  
**Reminiscence**   
  
_Contents/Warnings:_ Shounen Ai, fluff.   
_Pairing:_ 12   
_Disclaimer:_ See all the others; status unchanged. 

AN: Written for challenge #17 - 'don't look back' - at the gw500 LJ community.

* * *

Heero came to the top of the stairwell and saw Duo standing in the doorway, looking into the barren apartment. "That was the last box. Ready to go?"

Without turning around, Duo nodded. "In a minute. Just... a minute."

Heero closed his eyes for a moment, accompanying a soft snort. He walked up to Duo, wrapped firm arms around Duo's torso, rested his chin against Duo's shoulder, tilted his neck just enough to place a light kiss on Duo's cheek. "Penny for your thoughts, love."

Lopsided grin, soft pat to the embracing arms. "Just thinking of... stuff." Duo let fingertips smooth across the doorway frame, tugged on a smile. "Remember when you showed up here, soaking wet and out of breath from running through what has to be the storm of the decade?"

Heero nodded, tightened the hug. "The night I made up my mind - when I first told you I loved you."

Soft chuckle. "Your timing has always been excellent. I'm glad you didn't catch a cold."

Snort. "I never get sick."

Grin. "Oh? Then who was it I treated to oodles of instant chicken soup a few months back?"

Grunt. "Fine - _almost_ never, then."

Duo glanced over at the floor by the far wall, at the different shade and four shallow depressions in the hardwood floorboards, marking where the couch used to be. "And over there - where I teased you to no end, the night you desperately tried to build up the nerve to kiss me."

Smile, rub of cheeks. "I got there at last, didn't I?"

Chuckle. "Yeah, you did..." Duo's eyes drifted off to the side of the desolate room, to the bedroom door. "Then there's that," he nodded pointedly. "I hope you remember _that_ night?"

Short snicker, lips to cheek. "Always - both the first, and all the rest."

Duo bent an arm back to grasp at the back of Heero's head, and ruffled his fingers in the dark locks. His eyes drifted to the single big window of the small apartment living room, and a sigh escaped him. "And that's where you... offered permanence."

Amused snort. "If that's what you want to call it - forever together, Duo. That's what I asked for, starting with a home that's ours, not mine or yours."

Sigh. "I know..." Chuckle. "I said yes, didn't I?" Against his cheek, he felt Heero nod.

"And I'm glad you did."

They grew silent, standing in a disjointed embrace, reminiscing. At long last, Heero grew weary of watching the desolate room.

"You're not leaving behind the memories, Duo. Those will always be with you - with _us_." He paused, relieved to sense Duo give a cautious nod. He loosened the embrace, stepped back and coaxed Duo to turn around, before delivering a proper kiss. At its end, he took Duo's hands in his, a short step back, another. "Come, let's go. Don't let go of me, and don't look back."

Duo smiled, fought back the tears threatening to spill, and let himself be dragged out the doorway. He pushed the door shut with his heel, the lock clicking into place. He didn't look back, only forward; into a future that appeared nothing but bright.

-end-


	18. Graze

  
**Graze**   
  
_Contents/Warnings:_ Shounen Ai (maybe), wee blood spill   
_Pairing:_ 12ish   
_Disclaimer:_ See all the others; status unchanged. 

AN: Written for challenge #18 - 'an injury' - at the gw500 LJ community.

* * *

"It's just a flesh wound..." Duo grinned down towards his knee from his perch at the low brick wall, and the person tending to said knee, but neither vintage comedy nor the mischievous grin seemed to connect, judging from Heero's cold, passive expression, intently focused on the task at hand.

"It's a graze." He didn't see Duo's eye-roll; he focused on the small first aid kit, picked up a piece of cotton, dipped some antiseptic on it and continued cleaning the scratched knee. It stung, but Duo tried not to show it, beyond a mild clenching of teeth, passable as theatrical. Heero went for the white box again, took a flat plastic bag, tore it open, and fished out the compress pad within. With precision aim, he positioned it over the knee. "Bend," he ordered.

Obedience. Heero administered the compress pad, and took great care in sealing the adhesive edges to Duo's skin, fingertips repeatedly passing all sides, ensuring the patch stuck. "I never would have figured you for a nursemaid, Heero."

Frown.

Chuckle. "Sorry, couldn't help it." Duo straightened his knee, satisfied that the patch stayed on. "Thanks, Heero."

Heero nodded, and proceeded to pack the first aid kit away. The used cotton and plastic scraps he stuffed in the right pocket of his white shorts.

Duo jumped down from the wall, did a quick knee-bend, just for show. "Good as new..." He paused, looked at Heero again. "You know, it was an accident."

Heero's eyes narrowed as he reflected on the final few moments of the basketball game. "He pushed you on purpose."

Shrug. "Whatever. You didn't have to fly in his face just because of that - I almost think you'd have punched his lights out if I hadn't held you back."

Curt nod. "It was tempting - but like you suggest, it wouldn't be worth the trouble."

Duo chuckled. "Yeah, well - after that little lesson in Japanese profanities, not to mention your glare and shaking fist, I doubt that guy will be bothering us again any time soon." Pause. "You know, you should have waved to the girls cheering for us - I think they really like you."

Scoff. "I don't deal with-" He cut himself short, a most unusual expression on his face; almost as if he had let slip something he shouldn't have. "I don't have _time_ to deal with girls. I have missions, and-"

Duo rolled his eyes again. "You need to take some time off to _live_ now and then too, Heero. Isn't there anything you'd like to do for _yourself_, and not for the damn missions? Even with your 'life is cheap' way of dealing with things, there has to be something, right? You know, 'die with no regrets', and all?"

Heero brooded on this for a while. "...yes," he answered at length.

Grin. "Then go for it, man!"

Heero opened his mouth as if to speak, but no words came. He turned around and walked away, heading back to where they hid the Gundams, to return the first aid kit. "Maybe later..." he mumbled over his shoulder.

When Heero was out of earshot, Duo gently grazed his finger along the warm edges of the plaster and sighed to himself. "Just don't wait _too_ long, pal... Nobody waits forever." 

-end-


	19. Picture

  
**Picture**   
  
_Contents/Warnings:_ Shounen Ai, tad of angst, Heero PoV   
_Pairing:_ 12   
_Disclaimer:_ See all the others; status unchanged. 

AN: Written for challenge #19 - 'communication' - at the gw500 LJ community. It's a follow-up to an earlier ficlet; 'Frame'.

* * *

I should have remembered how sensitive Duo is about the few personal possessions he allows himself to keep, given our perpetual risk of sleeping at a new safehouse the next day, often fleeing in between. I think I'm the same way; gun, Wing, spare spandex - but I was never one for frills. I've never kept anything like... his frame.

I was studying it, trying to figure out why Duo kept an empty picture frame with him, when he caught me. He yelled at me for invading his privacy, among other things, and he wasn't afraid to use expletives and gestures to further his point. I couldn't remember the last time I'd seen Duo that angry. At one point, I dared ask why he kept it - which only served to fuel his fury. I felt myself shrink at the sight, put the frame back where I found it and made a retreat. I think I managed to mutter an apology on the way out.

Even I have limits to what I can take.

I made a guess at the frame - and a decision.

-------

A few hours later, we were running for our lives. Our mission - a fairly standard 'get info and get out' thing - had gone sour. Duo and I kept accusing each other over who tripped the alarm, but it was a moot point. It was only a matter of time before bullets would catch up with us.

I was responsible for getting the 'information', while Duo was to cover our tracks - which meant-

From the corner of my eye, I saw him pull out the tiny detonator, flip the red cap aside and push the button. He side-stepped to land on my shoulders, tackling me to the ground, a mere split second before the flash and boom and rush of warm air swept across us. A big chunk of corrugated iron, probably a fragment of the former hangar roof, missed us by a few feet.

I tossed him off of me and glared at him like he was insane.

At the least, his grin was maddening. I knew it was part glee for making me frustrated. I rolled my eyes at it, and we ran on. The bullets never came, but they were not missed. Apparently, the guards were distracted.

-------

Back at the safehouse, Duo started asking about the unexpected mission - especially, what we'd been sent to get. I hadn't told him, and I kept on doing that, struggling to avoid his question, regardless how he phrased it. In the end, he gave up. Without saying it, he knew I didn't want to tell him. I had my reasons.

I didn't have luck, though.

Just as he'd thrown up his arms in frustration, and as I was about to take the small folder from the OZ base upstairs, a sole sheet fell out.

A picture.

Of me, strapped to a table at an Alliance medical facility. Not that you could see that; only my face was visible, my eyes closed. I don't know if it was taken before or after I regained consciousness - playing dead is an act I've learned well.

Duo stared at the picture on the floor, then at me. I bent to pick it up, but as I did, he snatched the folder out of my hands, and perused the contents.

Nearly all of it was OZ intelligence material; pictures and sketches of suspected Gundam pilots - us five included, drawings and schematics of the Gundams and other assorted images - all of it wide-spread within the OZ system already; nothing new we had to 'contain'. "They have copies..." I muttered, unable to meet his eyes at first.

When I finally did, I found him glaring at me; he knew that as well as I did. I wasn't the only one to have torn down a 'wanted for questioning' poster. "Then why the hell-"

"I was wondering if..." I mumbled, unsure how to say it. After a tense minute, I retreated up the stairs with the sole picture. He didn't try to stop me - I suppose he was as surprised at my actions as I was.

A minute later, I was back, bringing with me-

"Hey, I thought I told you not to touch that!"

Struggling not to frown, I nodded solemnly, handed the frame to him and looked away, only cautiously checking his reaction out of the corner of my eye.

He stared. At the frame, at me, back at the frame - and the face of a sleeping boy trapped behind the plastic.

It was the simplest way I could think of to say it, show it - or at least hint at it. They say a picture can tell a thousand words - but so can a gesture.

I glanced at his lips. Maybe I'd make myself perfectly clear...

_Tomorrow_, I thought as I turned away and retreated up the stairs. For this mission, I couldn't bear a failure.

-end-


	20. Limping Along

  
**Limping Along**   
  
_Contents/Warnings:_ Shounen Ai/Yaoi, bit of angst   
_Pairings:_ 2x4, 21, 43   
_Disclaimer:_ See all the others; status unchanged. 

AN: Written for challenge #20 - 'something soft' - at the gw500 LJ community. Set to episode #11.

* * *

Warm kisses touched Duo's collar bone, fingers grazed his side, smoothed down and across his hip, short fingers raked across his thigh. Duo's own hands were restless, one pulling the blond boy closer, the other gently pawing at the boy's chest. Their lips meet again with passion, eagerness making up for clumsiness. Digits clawed at Quatre's spine, his leg pushed up between Duo's thighs...

Quatre froze, eyes suddenly open, lips still locked to Duo's. He moved his hand from Duo's thigh towards the crotch, their kiss ending. "Duo, what-"

Impact. Duo jerked back at the touch, untangled himself from both Quatre and the thin cotton sheet, and sat up straight at the bedside, elbows on knees, face in his palms. "Sorry, Quatre. I'm just-" He gave Quatre a sullen glance over his shoulder. "Sorry."

Severely disgruntled at the turn of events, Duo got to his feet, walked over to the second-story window and pushed the shutters aside. The dry, warm evening breeze coming in from the desert caressed his face and bare torso. He leaned out a little, drew a deep breath, put on a near-smile and stared out in the oncoming night.

Quatre leaned over on one elbow, studied Duo where he stood, smiled to himself. "You miss him, don't you?"

Sigh. "Of _course_ I still miss him..." Another glance, taking in Quatre's barely covered form. "But I can't stay like that forever - have to try to move on."

Smile fading. "We don't know if he's dead or not, Duo. You shouldn't-"

Duo spun around, leaned back against the window ledge and frowned. "Quatre, you saw him self-detonate. There's no _way_ he could have made it out of that one alive. Heero's _dead_, Quatre. He's-" Duo stopped himself, rubbed his forehead with his right hand, pushed back another set of tears.

Quatre waited for him to calm down a little, before almost whispering "Come back here, Duo."

Duo absentmindedly shook his head.

Quatre flipped the sheet aside, patted the mattress. "Come back, Duo." His voice firm this time; commanding.

Reluctantly, Duo obeyed, and climbed back to bed. The blond wrapped both sheet and arms around Duo, and pulled him into a close hug. He robbed soft sooth circles along Duo's shoulder blades, tried to provoke the tears with quiet words and gestures of comfort.

They never came.

Duo shifted his leg, and his thigh rubbed against- He scooted back again, gave Quatre an apologetic look. "Damn, Quatre - I'm sorry, I didn't think about-" He bit his lip. "Look, if you want, I can-"

Quatre smiled serenely, shook his head. "Don't worry, Duo - that's not important. I'm fine - I just thought _you_ might need something like this. Something to distract you." He cupped Duo's cheek. "I hate to see you brood so much. It doesn't become you, jester friend of mine."

Duo dared a snort, tugged on a smirk and slapped Quatre's nuzzling hand away. "Thanks anyway, Quatre - it's not like I don't appreciate the offer. You're a handsome little devil."

Chuckle. "Finally, someone who sees my true nature."

Beginnings of a grin. "Well, you've gone a long way from an angel, Quatre." He paused, nibbled at his bottom lip again, unsure if he should ask.

He didn't have to; Quatre sensed it. "Trowa, right?"

After some hesitation, Duo slowly nodded.

Eyes to the ceiling, smile as warm as ever. "I wish, Duo... I really do... Heaven knows, I've tried to get his attention, but... I don't know, Trowa seems to shy away for some reason."

Shrug. "He'll come around. You're too good to pass up, Quatre."

Brief laughter. "Thank you."

Silence. "Uh, Quatre..."

"Yeah?"

"So... you've never... I mean, before this... uh..."

Quatre smile brightened in amusement. He planted another kiss on Duo's forehead, then hugged him close again. "Never, Duo. You would have been my first. Still could be."

"Oh..."

Another pause. "What about-"

He felt Duo shake his head. "Heero, once. Probably wasn't much, but to me..." He sighed. "Damn, I miss him..."

The embrace tightened. "He's not dead, Duo."

"Is too."

"Is not."

Lopsided grin against shoulder. "Is too."

Light chuckle. "Is not."

Soft nibble of skin. "Is too."

They both laughed. Quatre petted Duo's hair, dug his fingers in between braid and neck, caressed the nape. "You know... if he _was_ dead, I'd love to have you, Duo. I'd be honored to..."

Duo sighed again. "I know... but maybe he isn't dead."

"Oh, so you're _finally_-"

"Not that, Quatre - it's just... Well, I think if he _really_ was dead, I'd know - subconsciously, I'd _know_ - and I haven't gotten that feeling yet. If I had, then I'd be all over you in a heartbeat, blondie." He kissed Quatre's nose. "Yeah, I still hope... but you saw that blast."

"We still don't know, Duo. Look - tomorrow, I'll pull in a few favors and see if we can get some information on what really happened, and where Heero is - I'm sure he's alive. If anyone could survive that, he could." He felt Duo nod against his cheek, and suspected the moisture touching his skin was tears. Quatre let them slide in peace. "But for tonight... wrap your arms around me, Duo. For tonight, just hold on to me. At least give me that much, and let me give it right back."

And so they did.

-end-


	21. Protection

  
**Protection**   
  
_Contents/Warnings:_ Yaoi/Shounen Ai   
_Pairings:_ 1x2, 3x4   
_Disclaimer:_ See all the others; status unchanged. 

AN: Written for challenge #22 - 'a phobia' - at the gw500 LJ community.

* * *

Though there's not really such a thing as 'morning' on a spacecraft, Quatre felt the hour or two after waking up fit such a description. Likewise, he named his food and beverage 'breakfast' and 'morning coffee', though it might as well have been supper to anyone else aboard. Of course, this time of day - or night, or whenever it was - the galley aboard _Peacemillion_ was nearly deserted - but only nearly.

Duo sauntered in from the hallway, scratched a back itch, poured himself a cup of coffee from the percolator and sat down opposite of Quatre. "Hi, Quatre."

Nod. "Good morning, Duo."

Quick gulp, grin. "Yeah, I suppose it is..."

Quatre studied Duo's face intently, his brows steadily moving closer. "Duo...? Do you have something you'd like to tell me?"

"Huh?"

Slight smile. "Well, it's just that... I haven't seen a grin like that since after the first time Trowa and I-" Soft shade of pink came to his cheeks.

Duo laughed, and fought back a similar coloration. "Yeah, well..." Eyebrow wiggle. "You're not wrong, pal."

Wide eyes. "You mean, you two-"

Wider grin, nod. "Almost didn't. See, Heero's a bit rough, both with his hands and his kisses. It's not that I have a problem with that, it's just... I was concerned about how he'd act if we-" Lip nibble. "Well, I didn't want to end up with bruises or something." Gulp of coffee. "I was too scared to actually come out and say that, though. I'm more afraid of disappointing him than anything else, really."

Quatre took the information in, nodded. "So, what did you do?"

The grin turned sheepish as Duo scratched the back of his neck. "Well, I thought I'd do something clever, so I looked up some scientific terms, and used an obscure word to tell him he made me feel a tiny bit afraid of sex. He made the perfect impersonation of a question mark - in retrospect, I'm not sure if it was because of the weird term, or because of what I actually said."

"Oh? Didn't you say-"

"I'll get back to that in a sec. Okay, the point of all this was to make him think up a solution, or at least keep his strength in mind when - well, you know. I went to the rec room and waited for him to come talk to me about it, or something. Waited all damn day, but he never showed. Finally, I got fed up of waiting, and went back to our bunkroom."

Sympathetic smile. "Then what happened?"

Smirk. "Well, when I opened the door, I found Heero, that's for sure - with just a sheet draped across his thigh and crotch... and kneepads."

Quatre stared at Duo. "Huh?"

Nod, chuckle. "Yeah, that was my reaction, too. Then, he told me, 'they won't be a problem if you can't see or feel them, right?' "

Quatre's jaw drooped just a bit. "Now you've lost me..."

"Thought so - here's the thing; I'd told him he gave me a little genuphobia - but what I _meant_ to say, was gen_o_phobia - _that_ is 'fear of sex'."

Soft smirk. "And what _did_ you tell him?"

"I told him I had knee-phobia."

Quatre laughed.

"Yeah, that's what I did, too, once he explained." Wiggle of brow, coffee swig. "Anyway, I told him there were more useful forms of protection for sex..."

"So, you did have-"

Eager nod, big grin. "Damn right - and just so you know, he's a lot softer than he lets on..." Mischievous wink. "Well, except where it _matters_, of course..."

Quatre nearly choked on his coffee.

And they both laughed.

-end-


	22. Commitment

  
**Commitment**   
  
_Contents/Warnings:_ Shounen Ai   
_Pairing:_ 12   
_Disclaimer:_ See all the others; status unchanged. 

AN: Written for challenge #22 - 'a phobia' - at the gw500 LJ community.

* * *

The soft, yellow light on the white vidphone pulsed with the harmonious accords of its call. Relena reached for it, tapped a small button and watched as the screen came to life, a chipper face framed in dark hair appearing.

"Hi, Relena."

She smiled. "Oh - hi, Hilde - it's been a few days."

Nod. "I know - I haven't had a chance to call before now. Sent him grocery shopping, so we have some time. I'm not interrupting anything, am I?"

Soft headshake. "Not at all - how is he holding up?"

Hilde sighed, shrugged. "So-so, I guess. He gives me a wide grin and works hard." Wry smile. "I don't think the salvage yard has ever been this tidy." Pause. "You know, he tries not to show it, but... he's getting more and more worried. I've caught him pacing around more than once."

Relena gave a serene smile. "Oh, he shouldn't worry. Heero loves him, he's just... scared - unsure of himself, I suppose."

Nod. "Well, it's been a month already. I can understand that Duo is growing jittery."

Slight chuckle. "I'm sure Heero is afraid too - both of loving and of losing."

"Yeah, but he has to make up his mind soon. This on-again/off-again relationship of theirs has lasted long enough. I'm sick of it; I mean, I love Duo, but I don't want to go through another of their little break-ups or breakdowns with him, and work like hell to patch everything back together again. If _we_ can see they're a good match, why can't they?"

Relena nodded. "I know what you mean - but it was Duo who cornered Heero with the question."

Hilde sighed. "I know... Still can't believe he did something that stupid. I mean, he's a guy; he should know how guys react to the whole 'let's settle down' routine, right?"

"Perhaps... I admit, I was a bit baffled when I heard about it - to me, Duo always seemed like such an easy-going and carefree young man - I always thought Heero would be the one to suggest-"

"Relena, Duo's a good guy, but his life has been a bit... fluctuating, you know that. That's probably why he asked Heero to move in here. He wants something permanent in his life. If Heero accepted the offer - and I finally got an excuse to get a place of my own in the process - he'd have that."

Smile. "Well, that's why he shouldn't worry. When Heero dedicates himself, it's all the way - it is always 'all or nothing' with him."

Snort. "Yeah... Guess we'll just have to wait for him to finish sowing his royal oats around and make up his mind, then."

Relena broke into a most undignified chuckle. "Oh, I doubt he's doing much sowing. Heero isn't one to reap whirlwinds, he wouldn't do anything to ruin his future, as long as he's undecided on where to go - and just so you know, I've been keeping tabs on his recent movements."

"Oh?"

Nod. "I'm sure he knows about it, but no matter - I've seen a pattern."

"Like what?"

Conspiratorial smile. "Well, lately, he's been moving about through the colonies in a big, but steadily narrowing spiral - and he's slowly centering in on L2..."

-end-


	23. Clear Terms

  
**Clear Terms**   
  
_Contents/Warnings:_ Shounen Ai.   
_Pairing:_ 12   
_Disclaimer:_ See all the others; status unchanged. 

AN: Written for challenge #22 - 'a phobia' - at the gw500 LJ community.

* * *

The screen of the ancient, bulky laptop was just about the only source of light left in the room, now that the sun had set and lights-out had been called for the dormitory. Nevertheless, Heero stared into the screen, intent on finishing the mission report he'd started. However, a word eluded him; had done so for a good ten minutes - and it was getting on his nerves. Frustrated, he reached into a side compartment of the carrybag, pulled out a slim card and inserted it in the laptop's side. Two clicks and a low beep later, he was connected to the global InfoWeb, and searched.

He found it just as his roommate found him.

"What'chya doing there, Heero?"

Heero glanced at the new arrival, down to shorts and shirt for the night. "None of your business, Duo. Go to sleep."

Duo threw a lopsided grin, shrugged. "Whatever - bet it's another mission report, and-" He caught a glance of the screen. "What's this? 'Phobias: An Index'? Just what the heck are you browsing for? Got some weird disorder you haven't told about or shown us yet?"

Soft grunt, shadow of a smile.

Duo skimmed the screen, and chuckled. "Man, some of these things are just too weird..."

Heero sighed, leaned back and put his hands behind his head. "I just needed a term for my mission report. Now, go to sleep and let me finish."

Grin. "So, the high and mighty Heero Yuy has a pathological fear, huh?"

Snort, soft glare. Heero untangled his fingers. "I needed a word to describe the general feeling of OZ troops under duress."

Chuckle. "Well, that's easy. Use 'scared shitless' - nine times out of ten, that's the truth. The tenth guy is either the hero that wastes his life attacking us head-on, or the idiot that panics and feels the need to inform his comrades that, yes, that big metal thing slicing up your mobile suit and/or base is, in fact, a Gundam."

Heero went as far as a smirk.

"Say... What phobias _do_ you have, Heero?"

Grunt. "If I had any, I wouldn't tell you."

Grin. "Fair enough - already know you've got atychiphobia."

Heero gave him a puzzled look.

Duo tapped the screen. "See that one there? Fear of failure."

Heero did, and consequently offered Duo a glare.

It was shrugged off by a chuckle. "Hey, you were the one going 'oh, I so totally blew it' back at New Edwards, pal. I say you qualify for that one, at least..."

Grunt.

Duo looked over Heero's shoulder again. "I wonder..." He put his hands on Heero's shoulders and gave them a soft squeeze, waited for Heero to relax. Then, he carefully moved his fingers along Heero's neck, grazed across cheeks and rounded the ears, before raking gently through the messy, dark hair. All the while, Heero tilted his head to follow the warm hands.

Duo smoothed his palm over Heero's cheek and smiled. "Well, I guess you don't have chiraptophobia, then."

Curious, Heero skimmed the list, found 'fear of touch', and gave an amused snort. "You had doubts?"

Chuckle. "No, not really. Now, what about... philematophobia?"

Again, Heero checked the list, eyes dilating slightly. He turned to Duo to comment, but was cut off by warm lips to his own, and most thoughts left him, until Duo finally relented to let him breathe again.

He was still struggling to regain a steady airsupply when Duo landed another kiss on his cheek. "Well, I guess you don't suffer from any fear of kissing, then."

Heero coughed. "You already knew that."

Nod. "Sure - but testing it seemed fun."

Soft grunt.

Duo straightened up, stretched his arms, yawned and wandered off towards the shared bedroom - separate beds, but- "It's the left one tonight, right?"

Smirk. "Yes. I'll be with you as soon as I finish this."

Grin. "Okay."

Heero watched him retreat. When he was almost at the door, curiosity got the better of him. "Duo?"

"Yeah?"

"Do _you_ have any phobias?"

Duo tilted his eyes up in thought, considered a few he'd seen on the list. He smiled dimly and shrugged. "I dunno... anuptaphobia, maybe..." Without explaining, he went through the door, closing it, but leaving it slightly ajar.

Puzzled, Heero consulted the index again. He blinked, and again, then closed his eyes, tugged on a smile and sighed softly. After hurriedly editing in 'scared shitless' in his report, he took quick steps towards the bedroom. If he had anything to do with it, Duo would not have to fear staying single - ever again.

-end-


	24. Dresscrossing

  
**Dresscrossing**   
  
_Contents/Warnings:_ Yaoi, language, crossdressing (kinda)   
_Pairing:_ 2x1x2   
_Disclaimer:_ See all the others; status unchanged. 

AN: Written for challenge #26 - 'identity' - at the gw500 LJ community.

* * *

Another pained groan and a string of expletives came from beyond the bathroom door.

Two soft raps. "Duo? Are you okay in there?"

Another whimper. "Can't get the damn thing _on_. So fucking _tight_."

Soft smirk. "Just yank it on."

Growl. "Are you kidding me? It isn't _that_ elastic; the damn thing'll burst!"

Chuckle. "That's okay, I've got spares."

More curses followed, as well as a general ruckus. Then, they all stopped with Duo's strained statement, tone of voice a bit higher than normal. "Okay, think it fits now. You actually _use_ these?"

"Yeah, never had a problem."

Whistle. "and I thought _I_ had a slim build."

Heero smirked to himself, ignoring the urge to make a comeback. "Ready?"

Hesitation. "Not so sure about this anymore..."

"Hey, this was _your_ bright idea. Come out of there, I want to see."

A few seconds passed, then the door clicked, and Duo stepped out, clad in white socks, a pair of black spandex shorts and a loose green tank top.

"Turn around," Heero requested. Duo held up his arms and did so. "Nice," Heero told Duo's back.

"I don't get how you can wear this piece of- It's _tight_, for cryin' out loud."

Smirk. "It looks good on you, though."

Grunt. "Looks better on you, pal. Believe me."

Chuckle. "I thought you _liked_ being in tight, dark spaces."

Strained grin. "Only _your_ tight and very private dark space, 'Ro."

"Indeed..."

"Anyway, my turn - take a spin, Heero."

Heero did as ordered, mimicked Duo's earlier pirouette and showcased the outfit borrowed from Duo; white shirt, black pants and jacket, black socks and even a black baseball cap - albeit Heero had put it on backwards on purpose. Spin done, he took a hold of the pants legs. "These are really baggy..."

Duo chuckled. "What, saying I got a big rear, or something?"

Flash-frown.

"Yeah, I know that's not what you meant... See, I want a little _space_. Why or how you're able to squeeze into _this_ thing, I can't understand - and this flimsy tank top-"

"It allows unrestricted freedom. Upper body garments should be more flexible to allow erratic breathing. This outfit serves my needs."

"If you wanted freedom, you could always run naked."

Scowl. "_You_ try to run naked, Duo. It isn't good to leave things hanging."

"Oh? You've tried? Or was that a dare?"

Heero declined to answer either way, and studied Duo again. "You went commando, didn't you?"

Sheepish grin. "Yeah.... Sorry, couldn't fit both me _and_ my boxers inside." Curiosity. "Say, do _you_-"

Heero merely smirked, pulled on the shirt and tugged the pants down a little on one side, exposing more than a little hip and belly. "Want to check?"

Grin widening. "Later..."

Heero closed the view, and went for the discomfort at his throat. "This collar is really uncomfortable."

Brief snicker. "So, I take it I shouldn't get you a choker?"

Frown.

"How about an ankle bracelet?"

Snort. "Why not a kitty bell while you're at it? Wouldn't want any of the OZ soldiers to miss my approach..."

"Streaking, wearing only an ankle bell? Hell, that _would_ be a sight worth catching."

Smirk, grunt.

"Still want to put my mark on you somehow, though..."

Again, Heero snorted. "As if you don't do that all the time."

Chuckle. "Point - and likewise."

Heero sighed. "I think we've proven we can only borrow each other's clothes to a degree - my shorts are crushing your... assets, and your shirts are attempting to strangle me." He adjusted the baseball cap. "This thing fits, though."

"I suppose that's just for the better..."

They fell silent for a bit. Heero finally felt the cap rested properly on his unruly hair. "Duo?"

"Hm?"

"Why do _you_ choose this outfit? You've told me-"

"I've told you about my so-called childhood, right? Well, it's part that, I suppose. Part of my past - part of me. It serves as a reminder, some days. Comfort or reflection on others."

Snort. "They say the clothes make the man..."

Duo nodded. "Yeah... But it's man who puts his own outfit together."

Diversionary smirk. "Or his significant other."

Chuckle. "I suppose so..."

Again, they fell silent.

"Heero?"

"Hm?"

"_Do_ you wear underwear right now?"

Heero merely touched a finger to his lips, and walked towards the bedroom.

Duo pursued.

-end-


	25. Live and Let Live

  
**Live and Let Live**   
  
_Contents/Warnings:_ Shounen Ai/Yaoi.   
_Pairing:_ 1x2x1   
_Disclaimer:_ See all the others; status unchanged. 

AN: Written for gw500 challenge #27 - 'disappointment' - at the gw500 LJ community.

* * *

As he took in the apartment, Duo fought the oncoming sigh, and lost. "Tell me again, why do we _always_ have to masquerade ourselves as poor bachelor students? I mean, couldn't we pretend to be spoiled rich brats for once? I'm sure Quatre could back us up, and-"

Heero smirked; he knew the complaint wasn't genuine. Still, it was his to answer. "In case you've forgotten, he's been disowned - at least to some extent. Besides, this was the most suitable space for scouting our target. We're in an elevated position, and the view is-"

Duo stepped into the one-room flat and put down his bags next to the single couch occupying the fairly barren place. "Yeah, the view's terrific. And we're elevated, all right - ninth floor, even - but there's no damn _elevator_." Disgruntled, he looked about the open room. In the far corner was a kitchen nook and a few sparse appliances. At least the place came fully furnished. The odd square by the end of the kitchen counter had him puzzled, though. "Hey, what's that?"

Heero closed the door, dropped his bags on the other side of the couch, and rested his hand on Duo's shoulder. He studied it, looked up- "Oh... That's the shower."

"Say again?"

Heero pointed to the ceiling. "See those bars and the showerhead up there? The landlady mentioned this. There should be a shower curtain in the cabinet."

Disbelief. "You've _got_ to be kiddin'... You sayin' we have to shower right in the middle of the _kitchen_?"

"You don't have anything I haven't already seen, Duo." Chuckle. "Guess I'll have both dinner and a floor show tonight."

Duo snorted, but smiled. "Hey, where's the rest of the bathroom?"

Heero nodded towards the door. "Down the hall. We share the toilet with the neighbors."

Soft groan. "_Definitely_ rich brats next time."

Silent smirk.

"So... Is the couch for you or me? I can't see any beds, and-"

Heero grabbed the front end of the couch and pulled. The couch yielded and folded out into a double bed.

Grin. "Okay, so this place got at least _one_ thing right..."

Soft huff. "Let's set up the surveillance equipment - I'm hungry." Leer. "Going to entertain me?"

After Duo gave Heero a mock punch to his gut, they got to work.

-------

Duo wrestled out of his shirt. "Did you put the auto-record on?"

Heero nodded and flipped the covers aside.

Duo joined him. "Good. I could use some rest."

Heero gave a soft snort, but didn't comment beyond that; he was going to respect Duo's wish... Or at least _try_.

He was making good way of accomplishing that, almost asleep, when the slowly rising sound and rhythm of thumps stirred him. He glared up in the darkness. Beside him, he felt Duo rouse from slumber, too.

Duo yawned, voice as groggy as the rest of him. "Mmm.... 'Ro... Is that..."

Heero glared in the direction of the sound, straight at the far wall. "The neighbor - that loner in the corner apartment."

The rhythm rose a notch, and there was a rather large moan. "He's got company tonight..."

Snort. They waited, tried to ignore the hammering of bedframe on thin plaster. Yet, the disturbing chorus of thumps and low and not-so-low voices gave no sign of calming down, quite the opposite.

Fed up, Duo flipped the covers aside, got up, strode over to the wall and banged his fist into it three times.

There was quiet.

Then he heard the bedsprings rock again, albeit very subdued. He nodded in satisfaction; that would do. He returned to bed, and soon, he was headed back to sleep.

But the neighbours were soon wrapped up in their own again, and the pounding of plaster returned, louder than ever. With a pained groan, Duo stuffed his pillow over his head, desperately trying to block it out.

Heero was amused. He scooted a little closer, snuck an arm to Duo's abdomen and drew slow circles around his belly button, going in ever more ecliptic orbits, stretching south. "There's a saying... if you can't fight them, join them...?"

The caress and the proposal made Duo peek out from under the pillow. He stared outright at Heero. Hadn't he said he needed some rest? Even so, his anger was disarmed by Heero's confident smirk, and Duo smiled. "Well... I wouldn't want to _join_ them..." He reached around Heero's neck and pulled him in for a kiss. "...but there _is_ something to fighting fire with fire, I suppose..."

Heero latched on to Duo's neck, giving a predatory growl as he bit down lightly.

"I thought you had your fill during dinner..."

Chuckle, negative headshake. "You leave me constantly wanting for more, Duo."

Grin. "Oh, I'll give you _something_, then..." He faked a growl, and counterattacked, pushing Heero over and onto his back.

-------

Across the hall, the landlady was very much trying to block out the sounds of the night. Or rather, of the tenants. And to think, she'd thought the two young men were simply friends in need of cheap lodging.

Now that they were drowning out even the randy young man in the corner apartment and his chosen girlfriend of the night, she knew for certain they were lovers - and so close they obviously didn't care about the world beyond them, even more so than their neighbor.

She smiled to herself; she'd been young once, too. She'd give them tonight, but provide words of caution in the morning. Wise from experience, she reached inside the nightstand drawer and pulled out a pair of earplugs. They were usually enough to block out the other tenant and his various girlfriends. She hoped they would suffice now too.

If they would not, she thought with a leer, she would deliver a warning personally; go knock on their door - or perhaps use the master key. It would be nice to get a visual to go with the sound.

She wasn't disappointed.

-end-


	26. Expectations

  
**Expectations**   
  
_Contents/Warnings:_ Yaoi, language, fluff   
_Pairing:_ 2x1   
_Disclaimer:_ See all the others; status unchanged. 

AN: Written for gw500 challenge #27 - 'disappointment'.

* * *

Duo stretched out on his back and looked dazedly up in the ceiling, hands folded between head and pillow. His smile was sated, his breathing and heartbeat was slowly returning to normal.

Yet, his blissful rush was disturbed by the eerie quiet lying next to him. He tilted his head to peer over at his lover. After a few seconds, he got rewarded with the pair of stern blue eyes, much too harsh for the occasion. "Heero? Something wrong?"

Heero looked away, bothered. "No..."

Duo studied him, a fear creeping over him. "I... didn't hurt you, did I? I mean, I told you to let me know if-"

"I'm fine."

His voice hardened. "Don't lie to me, Heero."

Heero glared at him in challenge, but gave up with a sigh in seconds. "It's... It wasn't... wasn't what I'd expected."

Duo bit his lip, worried. "You mean... it wasn't good for you? It wasn't... painful... was it?"

Heero gritted his teeth, ground his head into the pillow. "Not... painful. It was... uncomfortable, at first - and I feel a little sore _now_... but in between, I didn't really notice."

Soft grin. "Yeah, you _seemed_ to enjoy it..."

Curt nod. "I did. Still, I thought it would be... better, somehow."

"What do you mean?"

Shrug. "I'm not sure... I thought... well, everybody seems to make such a big deal about... intercourse - so I guess I figured it'd be something monumental, not-" He looked away, aware of what he was implying. "Sorry, I didn't mean-"

Duo grinned back at him. "S'okay. So, I didn't set heaven and earth in motion for ya, huh?" Dry chuckle. "That's okay, not every guy is obsessed with... assessments. Oh, and you can say 'fucking', 'kay? That's what we did. What I did, at least."

Heero tugged on a smile and nodded.

Short-lived silence. "So... how was I?"

Slanted smirk, snort. "Look - Duo, it wasn't that I didn't like it. I suppose I had unrealistic expectations. Still, it wasn't the same as-" He studied the ceiling. "The other times."

Duo searched for the same elusive spot above that Heero did. "Damn right, it wasn't the same. Hand jobs, blow jobs and dry humps are all nice - but it's something else to be buried in someone's-" They both tilted their heads, glancing at each other out of the corners of their eyes. "Body," Duo finished.

Soft snort. "Well, I wouldn't know..." Heero grew a slight smirk. It said the entire question for him.

Duo shook his head. "Uh-uh. No way, 'Ro. I told you that from the get-go. I don't do submissive, not like that."

Frown. "How do you know unless you try?"

Chuckle. "Let's just say I've got a problem with authority, 'kay? I don't like the idea of being at someone's mercy - even you, Heero. All those other times, I could handle easily, 'cause we were equals, and this time-" Grin. "Well, I felt in charge. I'm not sure I could handle you being my... superior." He untangled his hands, patted the open sheet-covered space between them. "At least not here."

Slightly disappointed grunt.

"Don't worry, 'Ro. You've got complete control of me elsewhere - and definitely of my heart and soul."

Heero slapped Duo's bare chest softly. "Sentimentalist."

Duo leaned over on his side, and in over Heero. He touched his lips to Heero's forehead. "Only around you." Lips to tip of nose. "Always with you." Lips to lips.

And they rested there for quite some time.

-end-


	27. Miss November

  
**Miss November**   
  
_Contents/Warnings:_ Yaoi/Shounen Ai, masturbation   
_Pairings:_ 5x5, 2x4(x1)   
_Disclaimer:_ See all the others; status unchanged. 

AN: Written for gw500 challenge #28 - 'timing'.

* * *

The downstairs bathroom was small but peaceful, especially in the morning. Wufei greatly preferred it for that reason. Granted, compared to most safehouses the Winner boy managed to set up for them, this house was small - and stuck in the middle of suburbia. Still, it gave off an odd sensation of normal.

At least on the outside. The weapon stash in the back of the garage and the makeshift training dojo in the basement jarred with normality.

It was still early. Yuy would certainly be in the basement. Most likely, he had convinced Barton to join him in a sparring match. Wufei hadn't heard snoring when he passed Maxwell's room, though Winner might have dragged him along for a supply run. The blond had mentioned something about that yesterday.

Altogether, this left Wufei fairly undisturbed. He smirked to himself. One necessity of nature already attended to, finalized with a flush, he opted to satisfy another. From one of the cabinets, hidden behind a small stack of towels and spare toilet paper, he fished out the well-leafed glossy magazine. Three lovely ladies at the cover; clothes enough for one. The issue was a classic. There was a reason he'd held on to it. He flipped through the pages, glanced at some of the pictures, working to the reason.

And there she was; miss November, in all her glory - dark, mysterious, alluring. Wufei put the magazine down on the floor; he needed his hands free. One of them, at least. He flipped the pages, tilted the magazine and extended the centerfold. His borderline leer went down at miss November. She didn't mind, but quietly kept on displaying her straight, pitch-black hair, delicate long lashes, large, pleading eyes and teasing smile, white teeth within a rosy mouth. She leant back, displaying her ample bosom, smooth, almost shiny skin, flat belly, thin waist, legs crossed at the fine line between merely naughty and outright lewd.

Wufei's right hand worked faster. Oh, how he liked miss November. It wasn't the first time he'd shown off his... interest. At least he'd kept the magazine from getting sticky.

In his mind, he envisioned how her skin would feel, how her lips would taste, how softly and seductively she would whisper in his ear... He nearly grinned.

He was so far gone in his fantasy that he registered the voices much too late. He froze, matters still in his hand.

"-told him I didn't _mean_ to break it. Not _my_ fault Trowa left his clown mask on my chair."

A soft chuckle followed.

_Maxwell and Winner,_ Wufei concluded, clenching his teeth. The two must have come home early. Their voices came from the direction of the kitchen - and the sound of footsteps was growing louder. He glanced at his crotch, at miss November, at the door. Did he remember to-

The answer presented itself when it swung open, courtesy of Duo. Quatre saw him first, and made the tiniest shirk in surprise. Which of course made Duo look too. Wufei froze for a few seconds, as did the other two. Then, Quatre began to mutter an apology for barging in, and Duo started grinning, no doubt working up some rude and sarcastic comment. Wufei released his clammy hand, hurriedly hiked up his pants, and fled to the safety of his room, cheeks feeling decidedly warmer. He'd deal with the two later, once he had his katana to force an oath of secrecy through. First however, he needed a cold shower to rid miss November from his mind entirely. He changed his direction to the upstairs bathroom.

Quatre and Duo watched Wufei run away, somewhat stumped. They went into the cramped bathroom. Duo shut the door and started snickering, soon laughing outright. Between big grins and not quite suppressed chuckles, Quatre cautioned him. "This isn't funny, Duo." Grin. "I mean-"

"Like _hell_ it isn't funny. We just caught mister self-righteous himself with his pants down. Good thing for him, I almost thought he'd been neutered or something - I mean, he's always so uptight and- _hello_..." Duo looked down on miss November and picked her up, thumb and index finger only. "Well, lookie here..."

Quatre did, and blushed. "Perhaps we should put that away, and-"

Grin. "Oh, you wash your hands first, Quat. I'm just gonna look-" Slow, falling whistle. "Have to hand it to Wufei - at least he has good taste. She's something else."

"Perhaps," Quatre commented, turning on the faucet and reaching for the soap. One of the shampoo bottles had ruptured on their way back from the grocery store, and cleaning up that mess had left them somewhat smudged.

"Oh?" Duo peered over his shoulder. "You not into girls with long, black hair?"

The blond shook his hands. "Something like that." Turn of faucet.

With a grin, Duo tossed miss November and friends aside. He put his hands on the counter, caging Quatre in. He placed his chin to Quatre's shoulder, stared at him through the mirror in front of them. "...and just what sort of girls _do_ you like...? ...or do you like boys...?" he purred into Quatre's ear.

Quatre grew decidedly uncomfortable. "Look, Duo, I-" Just as he turned to make a more direct confrontation, Duo's hand was at his cheek, still slick with shampoo spills. Of course, more notable were the lips now pressed against his own. Surprised, Quatre shirked back. "Duo!" He wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. "Just what-"

"Oh, come on, Quat..." A step closer.

A step further back, another, third blocked by the wall. "Uhm, Duo, I-"

Duo came closer, predatory grin out in full force. Closer. He reached for Quatre's chin, tilted his head up, kissed him softly. "Tell me you don't like it, and I'll stop..." Duo kissed Quatre's cheek, picked at the top shirt button, pushed the collar aside, landed lips to collarbone and set to work. Quatre made no move to rebuff him; the soft moan that escaped him only egged Duo on.

-------

Heero was satisfied with the mock match. Trowa had defended himself well, and made a few attacks that had caught him off guard. Granted, Trowa would not be likely to use them against him again with as much success. Given time to analyze them, Heero would find the best possible counter. He ruffled his hair with the towel, then left it around his shoulders. The workout had made them both work up quite a sweat, and Heero felt the loose sweatpants start to cling to his skin. Trowa was in dire need of a shower too, and by their usual agreement, the loser by points got the upstairs bathroom.

Heero didn't really care one way or the other. He was too exhausted. He opened the bathroom door-

Duo and Quatre apparently didn't notice him at first. Duo's black T-shirt had joined Quatre's vest on the floor, and the blond's pink shirt wasn't far from following, already unbuttoned and aside, with Duo suckling an exposed nipple. As the initial surprise passed, Heero thought about closing the door and calmly step away. Yet, he kept looking, for just a few seconds too long. Quatre saw him, and stiffened. That made Duo glance his way too - and the lecherous grin almost screamed 'run, you fool!' at Heero - but his legs didn't budge - not that he was in much state to run right now, anyway.

Duo winked at Quatre, nodded his head in Heero's direction. Quatre gave a conspiring smile, adding to the warning bells chiming in Heero's ears. They came over, each taking hold of one of his arms, coaxing him inside. It didn't take much.

-------

While they _did_ help him wash off sweat and grime eventually, they made him a great deal more soaked and sore than he already was.

But it was worth it.

Still, as he rubbed his tender backside, Heero made himself a promise to remember to knock next time. In the aftermath, Duo and Quatre had mentioned their earlier discovery. Walking in on one randy housemate was bad enough. Walking in on two... made further walking difficult.

-end-


	28. Bits of Time

  
**Bits of Time**   
  
_Contents/Warnings:_ Shounen Ai/Yaoi, sap, Heero POV   
_Pairings:_ 1-2-1   
_Disclaimer:_ See all the others; status unchanged. 

AN: Written for gw500 challenge #28 - 'timing'.

* * *

It didn't start off too well. To earn his sympathy, I had to take a bullet from him - two, rather - and endure both pain and an unplanned swim.

It took a half a day at the Alliance hospital - and a few more waiting for my broken leg to heal - to earn his friendship. I didn't know how much I wanted it at the time. Given my stupid actions, it took a whole lot longer to earn his trust.

It took me months to sort out my emotions, but merely a second in the same room as him to know my conclusions were right.

It took several long weeks - and relative world peace - before I finally gathered up all my courage and dared tell him I loved him.

It took several tense seconds before he lit up a smile, embraced me and told me the same.

I didn't even need a second to know I wanted to hold onto him forever - even if that particular hug lasted roughly as long as his patience. It is greater than you'd think.

It took him a year to ask me to move in on the yard, and not just work there. It took another week before Hilde started searching for a place of her own. With a wicked grin, she told me I made enough noise as a mere visitor. As a permanent resident, the walls were simply not thick enough - or not transparent enough - for her to want to continue living with us. Blushing furiously, I could not fool her into thinking Duo was the loud one. Through the quirks of fate, she remains our boss - and very good friend.

He needs but a look to read my innermost thoughts off my face. I need a good deal more to analyse his many masks. When I do fully understand him, I act upon it as fast as I can, hoping he'll forgive me for my tardiness.

Our kisses can be fleeting, and they can go on for a decent length plot-less movie. The taste of him lingers with me for long after that.

If he's willing, it can take as little as fifteen seconds to rid him of clothes.

If he's unwilling, add three to fifteen minutes for coercion and seduction.

If he's _truly_ pissed off at me, I know I might as well give up - at least temporarily. Forgiveness might take an hour, a day, two, perhaps even a week - but each moment spent apart means the make-up sex will be that much better. The wait is worth it.

Our lovemaking lasts long enough - but it always feels much shorter. Fortunately, frequency and diversity helps even that out.

We have the rest of our lives together - with luck, a good sixty, maybe even eighty years - perhaps even more, and while we constantly argue what happens after that, if anything at all, I know I'll love him forever.

-end-


	29. Spin

  
**Spin**   
  
_Contents/Warnings:_ Duo POV, random thoughts   
_Pairing:_ 121-ish, if you look sideways and squint really hard   
_Disclaimer:_ See all the others; status unchanged. 

AN: Written for gw500 challenge #30 - 'laundry'.

* * *

I hate Laundromats. They're cramped, they smell - sometimes good, sometimes not - and the people there tend to be... special. At least this particular place is a student coin-op joint, which limits the traffic and the clientele.

It still sucks.

But it's not like you can pack something like a washing machine when you skip shelters and hideouts. So, most times, this is where I end up. Have to clean my clothes somehow, and using a washboard is just too much work.

Yeah, I tried. Lost a good shirt that way.

The green plastic chairs of this dimly lit place are really hard. The noise of the whirling engines grows really monotonous after a while. Drives me nuts. Keep glaring into my loads - one all blacks, one all whites. If I stare long enough without blinking, it blends into some kind of funky yin/yang symbol.

Hey, the place hasn't got a TV, or a radio. Have to find my entertainment _somewhere_.

This is the third time I've come here. Visited another place before one of the guys at the dorms told me about this Laundromat. At least it's better than the last one. Less knitting factor. The chattering old women with their stitchwork drove me battier than the spin-cycles.

The girl across the room glances up from her book, and smiles at me. I smile back. If I weren't in such a rotten mood, I might have chatted her up a little. Takes me a moment to remember her from the bleachers. Weird, really. She hardly looks like a basketball fan.

I can feel she wants to talk, but she doesn't say anything, waiting for me to start a conversation. I don't. She returns to her book. The flimsy paperback has a pink cover. Engulfed in her book again, she blushes, raises the book up before her face. I roll my eyes. As if the pink paperback cover wasn't enough to give the thing away as housewife soft-core porn. The title weirds me out, though. Who in their right mind would call a romance book 'Love on the Rinse-Cycle'?

Right. Romance novelists. Forget that 'right mind' part.

Up until recently, I couldn't figure out what Heero did about his laundry. I mean, he has to do laundry _some_time - he wears clothes, after all. As far as you can call those second-skin bike shorts and the flimsy tank top clothes. My first guess was that he didn't, that he just kept one outfit, judging clothes a luxury. I was wrong.

Found out when I went to his room a week back. Was only going there to borrow some of his notes for one of our classes. Yeah, it's just for cover, but might as well get decent report cards, right? Anyway, it was his own fault he left the door unlocked. Not my fault the piece of twisted wire I accidentally poked into his lock _opened_ it.

Okay, so I got nosy. I mean, the guy is a damn mystery. Who can fall down a building and walk away with just a broken leg - which he sets back into place on his lonesome - and heal _that_ quickly? Not like he's willing to talk about it, either. Last time I tried to make him open up, he stripped my Gundam.

Back in one of the closets, I found his secret. Sure, he washed his clothes - which he had more of than I'd have thought. There was a decent selection in his closet. At the bottom was a small, round ball-like thing, almost like a raffle engine - you know, the kind with handles that spin around? That's how he did his laundry - in his room, with this manual tumbler thingy. There were some detergents and fabric softeners there too, as well as clothes pegs and a rolled-up drying line.

Of course, Heero inconveniently chose that moment to return. Walked straight up to me, grabbed my shirt collar with both hands, a subtle shift of fingers away from strangling me, glared me dead in the eye with that piercing blue stare of his. I cringed a little, expecting him to punch my lights out for snooping through his stuff, or something. Didn't happen, though. He just kept looking at me for a good minute or two, then let me go.

Well, tossed me towards the door, more like. I think I muttered an apology. He glared at me again, and I left. He looked more pissed than I could ever remember seeing him, so I didn't want to chance it.

There's a loud ping, signalling the end of one cycle. Now to toss the batches into the driers, and wait some more. I sigh.

Next time, maybe I'll bring a book too.

Wonder if Heero keeps a diary...?

-end-


	30. Permanence

  
**Permanence**  
  
_Contents/Warnings:_ Shounen Ai, Sap  
_Pairing:_ 1-2-1  
_Disclaimer:_ See all the others; status unchanged. 

AN: Written for gw500 challenge #32 - 'contract'.

* * *

Duo shifted from one foot to the other, restless. He swivelled the pen in his hand, nibbled at his lower lip.

There was a soft sigh to his left.

Duo sought out the source. "You sure about this, Heero? I mean, it's a big step, and-"

Heero nodded. "I want to. It's the most logical choice - the right thing to do."

Mild frown. "Just because something _seems_ like the right thing, doesn't necessarily mean it _feels_ right..."

Heero made a glance at the ceiling, silently begging for patience. "I _told_ you, Duo - I want this as much as you do."

Slow nod. "Yeah... but this is kinda permanent - at least, I like to think it would be, and-"

Heero put his index finger across Duo's lips. "I want to be with you forever, Duo." He smirked, let the finger slide down, and raised Duo's chin. "Do I have to reassure you about that all the damn time?"

Duo broke out in a grin. "No... But I wouldn't object if you did..."

Amused grunt. Heero leant in closer, tilted Duo's head a little, and kissed him; a light touch, fast growing firmer.

The woman at the far side of the desk cleared her throat. It ended the kiss, but triggered much blushing. They had almost forgotten about her. "Gentlemen, please... May I have your signatures first? Business comes before pleasure, you know." She mustered up a strained smile.

Heero and Duo looked at each other, exchanging a few quick winks and smirks. "Should we go for it?" Duo asked. He got a single, determined nod in return.

Duo spun the pen in his hand again, took a deep breath to calm himself, and left a chicken-scratch of a signature across the dotted line on the right side of the paper. Satisfied, he handed the pen to Heero, who left his own set of elaborate, almost ornamental loops above the dots on the left.

The woman took both pen and paper, and applied her own signature at the designated line. With trained efficiency, she separated the two copies from the original and stamped them. Finally, she slid one copy back to each of the boys. "Congratulations, gentlemen," she offered, smiling almost sincerely.

The two young men caught each other's eyes again, both on the verge of grinning. A quick kiss later, they were deep in a hug.

"I can't believe it," Duo mumbled into Heero's ear.

Soft grunt. "I can," Heero calmly replied.

"I mean - our very first apartment. _Our_ apartment, not mine, not yours..."

Against his cheek, Duo felt Heero nod. "Yeah... It's a big step - but it's the right one." Briefly he touched his lips to Duo's earlobe. "And it feels right, too..."

Duo smirked. "Now, I meant to ask you about something..."

"Hm?"

Duo leant back, wanting to see Heero's reaction. "How do you feel about apartment christenings?"

He never noticed the realtor's roll of eyes, but he certainly caught Heero's big, predatory smile.

-end-


	31. Anniversary

  
**Anniversary**   
  
_Contents/Warnings:_ Shounen Ai/Yaoi, sap   
_Pairing:_ 1x2x1   
_Disclaimer:_ See all the others; status unchanged. 

AN: Written for gw500 challenge #33 - 'distraction'.

* * *

The room turned steadily brighter, and the soft touch of bare feet to the floor and an unidentified jingle brought Duo out of his slumber. He turned over on his back, yawned, blinked dreary eyes to adjust to the light. The bed slumped, and Heero leant into his field of view, giving him a lopsided smile. "Good morning, Duo."

Duo noticed the raised breakfast tray Heero had put down on the bed; a small table placed across his hips. Then there was the full-length apron Heero was wearing. Thanks to some quick stitchwork it now carried the proud statement 'shag the chef' in big, bold letters across the chest pocket. Duo grinned. Other than his underwear the apron was also all that Heero was wearing. "Mornin'," Duo mumbled as he rubbed his eyes. He scooted up on his elbows, then proceeded to sit upright. He studied the brimming tray. Heero had prepared quite the assortment, most of which ranked high on the Duo food scale - though many could not be said to be typical breakfast items. The cup of black coffee was an exception. He took a sip of it. "So, what's the occasion?"

Heero shrugged, went for the single knot at his back. "Do we need one?"

Chuckle. "I suppose not..."

The knot came loose with a gentle tug, and as Heero leant in to deliver a kiss, the apron hung precariously from the noose around his neck. He rolled over on his side, reached for Duo's cheek, trailed a fingertip along his jaw, over the chin, then down the bare chest and stomach, lingering at the waistband of Duo's boxers. "You eat first. I'll... eat later..." He slid the fingers up, and drew lazy circles around Duo's nipple. "Or maybe I'll have a nibble first - an appetizer..."

Despite enjoying the moment, Duo sighed, pushed the raised tray away and took a hold of Heero's wandering hand, kissing the back of it. "Look... I appreciate all this, 'ro, I really do, but... you can't make me forget what day it is _this_ easily..."

Heero's hand went limp, and the slight smirk on his face vanished. He scooted closer, put his arms around Duo's neck, pulling him down - first to kiss him on the cheek, then hug Duo's head against his chest, slowly caressing backside and neck.

Duo reached around Heero's waist, fairly content. He touched his lips to Heero's chest. "Thanks..."

Slow nod. "It's been sixteen years..."

Drawn out sigh. "I know... Some things, you can never forget. I don't _want_ to forget either, Heero. I _need_ to remember the church... The meaningless deaths. Remember their names, their faces... Sister Helen's hugs, Father Maxwell's words of wisdom... If I don't remember, who will?"

Lips touched the top of his head. "I don't like to see you sad, Duo."

Duo smiled and ground his cheek against Heero's chest. "I know... but as long as you're here with me, it's okay..."

Within their embrace, the morning passed away.

-end-


	32. On the Flipside

  
**On the Flipside**  
  
_Contents/Warnings:_ Shounen Ai, some blood  
_Pairing:_ 4-2  
_Disclaimer:_ See all the others; status unchanged. 

AN: Written for gw500 challenge #33 - 'distraction'.

* * *

Duo gritted his teeth as Quatre gently probed around the injured area. The battle had been pretty much over when one lucky hit from a retreating Leo hit a weak spot in Deathscythe's armor. Duo had been showered with electric sparks and tiny glass shards as a few screens went out, but that was nothing major. The sharp piece of metal that drilled into his thigh, on the other hand...

Quatre studied the fragment. It appeared to be roughly the size of two fingers, pushed inside to the second knuckle. The wound was still bleeding. The shrapnel would have to come out, that much was obvious. However, there was no time to-

Duo hissed through clenched teeth. "Just yank it out, damn it!"

Quatre nodded. "Okay. Uhm, look away and think of something else, would you?"

Duo groaned in pain again. The leg _hurt_, the ground was wet and hard to lie on, and the trip out of Deathscythe's cockpit hadn't been a joyride, either. "Look, I've got a freakin' chunk of sharp metal jammed into my thigh - it's a _little_ hard to focus on something _else_ right now!"

Quatre gave no answer to that. He merely accepted Duo's frustrations, and checked the contents of the first aid kit again. He took the pair of scissors and ribboned the affected pants leg, then cut loose one piece of fabric to use around the fragment's serrated edges. He smiled down at Duo with great sympathy, steeling himself.

"Bite my nose," Duo suddenly mumbled.

"Huh?"

Teeth clenching again. "Just do it! Bite my nose, and pull that thing out. If the noggin's hurtin', maybe I won't notice when you-" He whimpered again, refusing to cry out loud, much less cry.

Quatre took a few quick breaths to calm himself. "Okay," he all but whispered, readied his hand and leant in over Duo's head, opened his mouth-

And veered off the expected path, landing a soft kiss on Duo instead.

Duo squirmed a little, surprised, confused- The metal fragment left him at the same time Quatre's lips did, and he cried out loud at the loss. Only Quatre's quick reactions stopped him from clutching the wound in reflex. The blond pushed him back to the ground, waited for him to stop thrashing, control his breath. Duo swore.

Quatre pretended not to notice. He put the piece of shrapnel down, inspected the wound. Duo hissed at the touch, but said nothing. "Looks like that was all of it, Duo..." They were both relieved; neither felt up to field surgery. Quatre cleaned the wound up as best he could, applied a big pad and a gauze wrap.

Duo scooted up on his elbows and watched Quatre work. He touched two fingers to his lips. "Why..."

Shy smile. "You needed the distraction - but I figured a surprise would work better than more pain." He secured the wrap tight, ignoring Duo's wince.

"Thanks," Duo hissed out, trying not to show the pain.

Quatre nodded, packed the first aid kit away, got to his feet and offered Duo a hand. With some effort - and help - Duo got up on his good leg and put one arm around Quatre's shoulders. With his human crutch, he limped back towards their suits. Halfway there, he broke out in a grin, despite the pain. "Hey, Quatre."

"Yeah?"

"Next time, could we skip the pretext of a stab wound? I know a good kiss is supposed to make your legs go weak, but this is ridiculous..."

Quatre didn't respond in words. His thin smile and reddened cheeks said enough.

-end-


	33. Perfection

  
  
**Perfection**

_Contents/Warnings:_ Shounen Ai, fluff  
_Pairing:_ 1-2-1, 1-5-1-ish  
_Disclaimer:_ See all the others; status unchanged.

AN: Written for gw500 challenge #34 - 'flattery'.

* * *

A soft kiss at first, firmer, tip of tongue pleading for admission; granted. A quick spar, temporary retreat, renewed offensive. Mouth gently tugging his lower lip, before making a light trail of touches across his cheek. Hot breath against his ear, lips enclosing his earlobe, nibbling at it with great care.

Heero let a groan travel the short distance to Duo's ear, following it up with a mumble. "Damn, you're a good kisser..." He touched the corner of his mouth to Duo's cheek.

"Hm?"

"I said-"

Duo's lips left Heero's lobe, much to his loss. "I know what you said."

Annoyance. "Then what-"

Duo leaned back now, their close hug becoming a loose one. He grinned. "That implies you have a basis for comparison."

"Huh?"

Chuckle, kiss to tip of nose. "You've been kissing around, haven't you?"

Heero frowned at the boy straddling his lap. The faint color his cheeks were gaining offset the threat-factor of his expression considerably. In Duo's eyes it was simply cute. "I didn't say-"

"I know..." Grin, soft kiss. "So... have you?"

Heero pulled Duo close, their lips confronted once more; distractions be damned.

Duo reluctantly broke contact, and gave Heero a light prod in the side. "Tell me. Who did you kiss?"

The thin smile wavered, and Heero looked away guiltily, decidedly uncomfortable, ears gaining a fair shade of red. "Duo, I really don't think-"

Wide grin. "You _have_, haven't you? Well, I've told you all about _my_ past affairs - all two miserable dates worth - so 'fess up, 'ro. Who did you smooch with before me?"

Scowl.

Wiggle of brows. "Want me to start guessing?"

Roll of eyes, sigh. "You're really going to make me say it, aren't you?"

Duo kissed Heero's nose again. "Damn right, hot-lips. So, unless you want to sleep alone tonight... gimme a bedtime story."

When Heero's immediate reply was merely a frown, Duo rocked his hips ever so gently, provoking a groan in surrender. "Fine... There's not much to tell, anyway. It was on the same day you cornered me on _Peacemillion_ about a date - the day before-"

"I remember. Who, Heero?"

Sigh. "It's _my_ story, so let me tell it, okay? Well, you scared me a little."

Chuckle.

Frown. "It's true. Especially since you clearly wanted a relationship much closer than friendship - I had trouble enough coping with that. I needed help. I wanted to talk to someone, and-" Heero chewed on his lip, saw the anticipation in Duo's eyes, and felt forced to continue. "Well, I wanted to know how to kiss, at least. Make it good, I mean. I knew the mechanics, I wasn't dumb. So, I thought I'd ask-"

"Quatre, right?"

Snort, lopsided smile. "He would have confessed everything the minute you saw him. No, not Quatre. Had to ask someone I was sure would keep quiet about-"

Grin. "Trowa?"

Sigh. "Would you let me _finish_? No, not Trowa either. Too risky. I fought Quatre in ZERO system mode once. That was enough."

"So, who _did_ you-" Moment of consideration. "..._Wufei_?!"

Heero's ears were flaming red by now. Slowly, he nodded. Duo fought back a snicker.

"You know, I didn't think Wufei was-"

Quick headshake. "He isn't - but he was thinking of asking someone out for a date, and expressed a desire to gain... practice, in advance. I overheard him talking to his mobile suit about it."

"So... you volunteered...."

Hesitant nod, almost ashamed.

Duo grinned. "Damn, wish I had been there to see it."

Still looking away, Heero frowned. "You didn't miss much. We were... clumsy."

Duo chuckled, took hold of Heero's chin and guided it back. "Perhaps." Soft kiss. "...but you've gotten the hang of it now, mister." Duo kissed him again, just a tad harder, then went back to the neglected earlobe.

"I have a better partner now," Heero mumbled through his smirk. "And practice makes perfect."

He felt Duo smile around his lobe in full agreement.

-end-


	34. Miracles

  
**Miracles**  
  
_Contents/Warnings:_ Shounen Ai/Yaoi  
_Pairing:_ 1-2  
_Disclaimer:_ See all the others; status unchanged. 

AN: Written for gw500 challenge #35 - 'expectation'.

* * *

Heero had been contently typing away on a mission report when Duo stormed into his room, claiming problems with his own laptop, wanting Heero to take a look at it. Before Heero had a chance to tell him to get lost, Duo had a firm grip on his wrist, pulling him along.

Sure, he could have wrestled free - but he didn't want to. He wasn't quite ready to proclaim his preferences to the world - much less to his preference of preferences. Better to steal peeks from afar and random grazes when possible. Because of his own cowardice, such small touches were all he could get - and he intended to make it last, even if he suspected the consequences.

Duo's computer trouble was an obvious lie - or rather, a clever avoidance of one. To retain the accuracy of his litany of never lying, Duo had probably infested his own laptop with a mild virus - all to have an excuse to drag Heero to the cramped living room of their current safe-house. Duo was devious, but mostly truthful.

Heero knew what awaited him there. Just a week ago, the five of them had discussed birthdays - three of them didn't know theirs. Then, Duo mentioned he had taken the date of the Maxwell Church incident for his, and suggested Trowa and Heero take the dates of their original namesakes. After all, they had in part copied their identities.

As luck would have it, this particular date was when Heero Yuy the pacifist had been born, long ago. Thus, Heero had a hunch Duo had arranged a-

Duo flung the door open, and standing before a run down table dressed up with paper plates and a small cake, Trowa, Quatre and Wufei called in near unison "Surprise!"

Like hell it was. Heero had noticed the small supply stash of food and drink the guys smuggled in, but ignored it. Still, that his friends had put together a party in the middle of a war was commendable - despite the security risk. He trusted they had been careful.

Yet, he entirely forgot to act surprised, and kept his glum face.

"Uhm, happy birthday, Heero."

Heero glanced at Duo, sighed at the grin, and forced a lopsided smile. He didn't like parties, but given who had made it all happen... "Thanks..."

Duo chuckled. "Yeah, I know, I know. You knew all along, right?"

Shrug.

Quatre nodded, smiled. "We thought so. It was impossible to hide the cake with only one refrigerator."

"Yeah," Duo agreed. "We do have one surprise for ya, though."

Raised brow. "What?"

Duo wagged a finger at him. "You'll know soon enough." He glanced at the door. "Look, I'll be _right_ back - hey, Trowa! Fix Heero up with some cake, would ya?"

Without further comment, Duo was out the door. Heero shrugged it off as Trowa offered him a plastic fork and a full paper plate. Heero accepted, took a few bites. To his surprise, it didn't disagree with his taste buds - even if the calorie calculator of his mind was adamant it didn't compute.

The piece of cake slowly vanished. Wufei and Trowa just about finished their cuts as well. Quatre barely touched his. _Someone_ had to keep conversation going.

From the corner of his eye, Heero noticed Wufei checking his watch. He was about to inquire when Wufei rose, tapping fork on cup. The plastic gave a dull clatter. "Heero, happy birthday. Now, we didn't really know what to give you - so, we pooled our resources, and..." As he spoke, Trowa and Quatre had gotten to their feet as well, sneaking towards the door. Heero glared at them suspiciously, and it took him a few second to note Wufei was retreating also. "Given it's your sixteenth birthday, we decided to hire - a stripper!"

Heero caught himself gaping. The security risk of it _alone_ - not to mention, he didn't really feel up to a bosomy long-legged lady bumping and grinding before him, or worse, up against him, in ever more skimpy coverage. It wasn't just a matter of preference. A male stripper could turn them in just as easy. Didn't the others remember all the 'wanted' posters?

Somewhere during his frustrations, the lights of the room went very dim, and from the part of darkness where the door was, a stereo set turned on; low thumps of a bass guitar, joined by bongos. He could hear only one set feet shuffling.

He was about to object when someone stepped into the single spot of the room left illuminated.

Duo. In something red; flimsy pieces hugging his body, barely held together by Velcro. _Duo_. Smiling directly at him. Hip starting to move to the beat. Glimpses of skin visible in strategic place.

_'I believe in miracles...'_ a gruff voice howled from the stereo.

Duo danced closer, offered Heero a corner of his vest. No sooner did Heero go far enough out of his stunned state to take a hold of it did Duo spin away, ripping Velcro apart and leaving a gaping flesh wound in the vest. Duo put Heero's hand on it, moved it down along his side, towards another small tab. Duo's grin was entrancing. Heero's jaw remained loose, though his lips were shaping into a leer.

By the third chorus, Heero was a believer.

-end-


	35. Unwrapping

  
**Unwrapping**   
  
_Contents/Warnings:_ Shounen Ai/Yaoi, Fluff   
_Pairing:_ 1x2x1   
_Disclaimer:_ See all the others; status unchanged. 

AN: Written 'cause Zerotwofan made sort of an open request for a 'reverse stereotype unwrapping ficlet'.

* * *

He unfastened the little piece of tape, and slowly folded the flap of paper down. He repeated the gesture on other side of the flat box, barely letting the tape take nibbles at the red wrapping paper. The pasted-on decoration he carefully lifted off the top, and put it aside by the wound-up piece of white string. The card had been meticulously tied loose earlier, and stood guard on the other side of the untangled string, showing off the neatly written words 'To Duo, From Heero' within its slight gap.

Heero sighed. "You're taking it awfully slow."

Duo smiled at him, and undid the three bits of tape still holding the paper tightly secured around the box. "Well, I like slow."

Grunt.

Duo folded the wrapping aside, cautiously following each crease, until the first side of the box was clear. It didn't reveal a thing, as it was made of entirely anonymous cardboard, not a single symbol on its surface. Duo chuckled. "Thanks, Heero."

Soft smirk. "You don't even know what's inside yet."

"I'll get there." Duo folded the paper and put it behind the card.

"It looks as if you're about to wrap it up, not open it," Heero commented.

Grin. "Well, I _am_ about to wrap all of this up." Duo flicked the end of the cardboard lid up, and opened it. There was a single piece of paper inside. Duo picked it up, and snickered. "I _thought_ you'd get me one of these for my birthday..."

Another grunt. Heero rubbed the back of his neck. "Yeah... I didn't know what else to give you. I'll make up for it sometime."

Duo closed the box and put it aside. "I think you chose well enough. Thanks a lot, Heero."

Singular chuckle. "You're welcome. You've kept me on edge for the last fifteen minutes, though. I thought you'd unwrap your gift a _little_ faster than that..."

Leer. "Getting there is the best part. The excitement is all in the unwrapping, you know. The fun kinda fades when you get to see what's inside - 'cause then you kill the surprise."

Amused, Heero snorted, and pulled at the side of his grey T-shirt. "...and what if you already know what's underneath the wrapping?"

Chuckle. "Well, It's always good to savor the journey..." He put the note aside and reached for the hem of Heero's T-shirt, and tentatively pulled it over his head. Once Heero was freed from the cotton, Duo kissed him. "...not just reaching your final destination..."

Heero smirked, and returned the kiss as he untucked Duo's shirt.

Next to the card, the note proclaimed, in the same neat writing, 'Forever yours, Heero Yuy.'

-end-


	36. Control

  
**Control**   
  
_Contents/Warnings:_ Shounen Ai/Yaoi, very mild bondage, humor   
_Pairing:_ 1x2x1   
_Disclaimer:_ See all the others; status unchanged. 

AN: Written for gw500 challenge #37 - 'my turn'.

* * *

The glare from the TV set helped the two nightstand lamps illuminate the bedroom. Despite the late hour, the two occupants of the king-size bed were not quite ready to turn in - albeit for different reasons. Good thing they had tomorrow off. Lady Une didn't like her agents reporting late, or out of shape.

Duo stifled back a yawn, and muttered "This is so boring..."

Heero barely acknowledged the statement with a grunt, and focused on the news bulletin on the screen again. He wanted to catch the latest world updates, and maybe a weather report, and-

Was thus totally oblivious to Duo's wants. He didn't even register Duo's fingertips sweeping across his clavicle and exposed bits of upper chest.

With a disgruntled sigh, Duo rolled over on his side, opened his nightstand drawer and fumbled about within. He grinned as he found what he was looking for. He took them out and dangled them in Heero's line of sight.

The pair of furry handcuffs were enough to distract Heero from the lowlights of the latest financial scandal. He glanced at Duo, met a big leer. He dared a smirk in return, dropped the remote in his lap and pulled Duo close for a kiss.

There was kissing, groping, soft-spoken words and sounds. Duo pulled Heero's hands to the headboard, snapped the cuffs around one wrist, put the other end through the spindles and shackled Heero's other wrist too, leaving him rather vulnerable, yet still with his head and shoulders resting on his pillow. Further kisses and caresses; their flimsy cotton sheet slipped down a little.

Heero relaxed, enjoying every attentive touch Duo provided him. He saw Duo reach down towards his waist, a little lower...

...and saw Duo grab the remote control perilously balancing on the bulge at his crotch.

Duo flipped the TV over to a late night special and flopped back on his own pillow.

Heero hesitated, waiting patiently. At ten seconds, patience ran out. "Duo?"

Grin. "Hey, I had to get you to give up the control _somehow_..."

Glare.

Amused snort. "That won't work, 'ro. This'll teach ya to respect my turn at handling the remote. It's after midnight, and an even day again. Those are _my_ days."

Heero grunted, tugged at the handcuffs. "I can break these, you know..."

Chuckle. "I know - but I also know you wouldn't ruin one of your favorite toys..." Duo rolled over, pulled the sheet down a bit more and draped an arm across Heero's exposed belly. He rested his head on Heero's chest, touched his lips to Heero's breastbone. "Besides, if you're a good boy, we'll play later... Looks like you're in the mood for it now..." He ground his head to Heero's chest. "Right now, I want to watch this show, though. Isn't it hilarious?"

Heero groaned softly. "Duo..."

Wide leer. "Though... I can think of more entertaining things than TV..."

Heero smirked as the TV screen went blank and the remote clattered to the floor.

-end-


	37. Forgetfulness

  
**Forgetfulness**

_Contents/Warnings:_ Shounen Ai/Yaoi, sap, fluff  
_Pairings:_ 3&4, 1&2  
_Disclaimer:_ See all the others; status unchanged.

* * *

Trowa put aside another processed report, glad to get rid of it. Lately, Lady Une appeared to assign all the more iffy Preventer cases to him. Trowa wasn't sure why - but assumed it had something to do with how one of Duo's recent pranks against her had ended up pointing the blame in his direction.

His revenge was still to be put in motion. Quatre had advised him against retaliating. Heero had all but threatened him to forget it. Wufei had offered him a bribe if he would just drop the matter and create a semblance of _peace_ at the office - at least until Duo's next big practical joke.

When Duo approached his desk, looking entirely too cheeky, Trowa feared it was close at hand - and worse, that he might be the target.

Duo put his hands at the ledge of the desk, and lifted himself to sit on the edge. He looked over his shoulder at Trowa. "So, today's the day, huh?"

"Huh?"

"Oh, you know - the big occasion."

Trowa's expression remained blank, entirely confused. Mentally, he readied his defences. "What occasion?"

"What do you mean, what occasion?" Duo chuckled. "Quit messing with me, Trowa - you wouldn't forget an anniversary, would ya?"

Whatever game Duo was playing, Trowa wanted no part in it. He frowned, growing a little impatient with Duo's questions. "I have no clue whatsoever what you're talking about, Duo. _What_ anniversary?"

Duo's face fell a little in surprise. "You saying you don't remember? You mean you _forgot_?"

Trowa was about to snap off another retort when Heero entered the room. He deposited three files in Trowa's in-box. "What are you two arguing about?"

Mirth restored, Duo got off the desk and planted a quick kiss on Heero's cheek. "Hi, 'ro. Trowa here forgot the anniversary."

Heero snuck an arm around Duo's waist, preventing a mockery of an escape attempt. "What anniversary?"

Duo shrugged.

To this, Trowa could only sigh. He rubbed his temples with one hand and prayed the mild irritation wouldn't grow into a headache. "Okay, Duo - once more, from the top."

Duo glanced from Trowa to Heero - whom nodded in agreement - and back to Trowa again. "Look, all I know is, earlier I saw Quatre fussing about down in the motor pool, mumbling something about an anniversary. I figured the two of you had some kind of special day today, or-"

Nobody had heard him approach - except all of them. Out of politeness, none of them _reacted_, however. They were all proud of their capabilities at stealth movement. Unfortunately, they were also adept at noticing the same.

Regardless, nobody acknowledged Wufei leaning against the door frame, arms folded, until he spoke up. "Sounds like the husband forgot their wedding day."

Trowa glared in Wufei's direction.

Duo snickered. "Are you suggesting they tied the knot without even telling us, 'fei?"

A frown; more of all too familiar annoyance than outright anger. "Quit calling me that."

Impish grin. "What, fey?"

Wufei shifted his stance to an attack posture and put some effort into the scowl now. "I swear, one more time, and I'll-"

"You'll what?" Duo egged him on, wrestled free from Heero's lax hold and took a step closer. Wufei matched the move.

Heero chose that moment to intervene, extending his arms to hold them both at arm's reach. He had more practice doing that than he cared for. "Children, please..."

They both glared at him now. Well, at least they weren't about to get into a fistfight. Heero was tempted to let them - but this wasn't the time nor place. Surely, that would come along soon enough.

"I suggest we help Trowa remember, instead of arguing." Feeling how both Wufei and Duo relaxed, he faced the desk again. "Trowa, which anniversary do you think it could be? Your first date?"

Trowa shook his head. "No, that's April 17th. January 10th, if you mean a _real_ date. We had a good dinner when we first met, and I like to think of that as our first date - but we didn't have something officially called a date until long after we'd-" He cut himself short, feeling the three pairs of eyes on him. His cheeks warmed up. "Made peace," he ended oh-so gracefully.

Duo struggled not to laugh, but achieved it. Heero's arms wrapped around his waist again, from behind this time. Lips touched the back of his neck. Laughter was forgotten; something closer to a soft whimper replaced it. "What about the first time you-" Duo rolled his hips, pushing them back against Heero a few times. "Made peace?"

Wufei made a lopsided smirk, snorted, and leant up against the wall.

Trowa was significantly bothered by now, but did his best to hide his embarrassment. Giving Duo an inch would only result in him going for the mile. "No, that's not it, either. That was April 18th. Or 17th. It all depends on definitions of when the night ends and the day begins, really. That, and of what... peace is."

Heero put his chin on Duo's shoulder, face not quite giving away his amusement. "Well, I'm sure you both got a good night's rest out of it."

Trowa didn't respond, but grew a lopsided smirk to go with his flushed cheeks.

"What about your first big fight?" Wufei offered.

Duo glanced at him. "Don't be silly, Wufei. You really think those two lovebirds would ever get into a-"

"June 27th."

All three of them stared at Trowa again, and for a few moments, silence filled the room. "That was... when he attacked us with Wing Zero," Heero commented.

Trowa nodded. "I know. That was sort of our first big argument - but other than that incident, I suppose the first fight would be... the fourth of November."

Duo briefly looked to the ceiling, thinking. He shook his head. "Nah, can't remember anything about that date - tell us."

Shrug. "Not much to tell. It was just after we'd gathered on Peacemillion. Quatre and I had a disagreement over some modifications to Sandrock. I overstepped my boundaries."

Heero grunted, loosening his hold on Duo a little. "Doesn't sound like a fight worth remembering to me."

Trowa's eyes steeled over. "We barely talked for the next three weeks. Took another two before he let me as much as touch him."

Following that, Duo had a brief problem breathing, as a pair of strong arms momentarily tensed around his waist. "I can see your point," he hissed out with what little breath he had left. Heero settled for a normal hug again, much to Duo's relief.

"I suppose you could call the quarrel we had about whether or not Dorothy was a good person at the core a fight too... That was the third of January."

The room fell quiet again.

"What about something smaller?" Duo offered. "I'm assuming that your first kiss came along with your first date and... peacemaking - but what about the first time at the movies together, or-"

Trowa shook his head, doing his best to not get lost in rather pleasant memories. "I remember those dates too. First movie, first time we had two straws and one glass for a milkshake, first time we shared-"

Duo waved him off. "Okay, okay, I get the idea. So, nothing like that, either."

Sigh. "Probably not."

Wufei pushed away from the wall. He preferred to meditate when he had to think. His second choice was pacing - and right now, it seemed the most practical. "Fine... Now, we know today isn't the birthday of any of us - how about other people in Quatre's life?"

Trowa shook his head. "I don't think so."

Curt nod. "The date doesn't relate to any big events during the war, either. It isn't a major holiday - none that I know of, anyway."

"Nor I," Heero stated. "It doesn't seem to match any of your firsts, and unless the two of you _have_ eloped, and-"

"We haven't."

Duo snickered as he wiggled out of Heero's back hug and into a mutual side embrace, instead. "That's good, I suppose - wouldn't want to find out I had missed out on _two_ bachelor parties."

Trowa gave a lopsided smile. "At any rate - it's none of those days today. I try very hard to remember the days that matter to him - and especially to _us_ - it's the only way I can occasionally surprise _him_, and not the other way around."

Heero gave a slight nod. "I'm surprised at how many small moments the two of you share and apparently celebrate, Trowa."

"Me too," Duo agreed.

"And me," Wufei copied.

Soft smile. "I'm not saying that we are actually celebrating all of those - but the small moments tend to stick with me, whether they're good or bad. Quatre has a way of making every moment together - and sometimes apart - worth recalling."

Duo's grin grew much too wide. "Aaaaw... You're such a sap, Tro'."

Trowa gave a snort, then curved his smile to a smirk. "As if the two of you aren't..."

Duo quickly turned his head to give Heero a peck on the cheek. "Damn right!" He sighed. "I can't help but wonder what the heck Quatre was mumbling about, though... It sounded like something important to me - a big date."

Trowa shrugged, and got to his feet. "None that I know of, though." Sigh. "I'll go find out."

Duo nodded in agreement.

"Alone," Trowa amended.

Chuckle. "Of course. Quat is probably still at the motor pool. He wanted to give a quick check-up on the number three sedan. He said it's been acting up lately."

For a moment, Trowa considered whether or not Duo was making a joke at his expense. He decided against - for now. "Fine, thanks - and do _not_ eavesdrop. If you do, I'll kill you." Then he slipped out the door.

"Quit stealing my lines," he heard someone call after him - but nobody followed.

-------

Trowa found Quatre working on a car, leaning in over the opened hood, fidgeting with one mechanism or another. Quatre's light blue coveralls had several smudges already, and by the scatterings on the nearby floor, Trowa surmised the car had already been put through an oil change - possibly more. A brown leather toolkit lay unrolled next to the car.

For a moment, Trowa merely stood there, content with watching Quatre's backside, patiently waiting for the blonde to finish fitting in a new car battery. He knew he didn't have to say anything. Surely, Quatre had already been alerted by his footsteps, no matter how soft he'd attempted to make them. The motor pool had much better acoustics than most rooms.

Without abandoning his task at jamming the battery into place, Quatre asked "Who's there?"

"Hi, Quatre."

Quatre looked over his shoulder, offering a warm smile. "Oh, hi, Trowa. Could you give me the number three wrench?"

Trowa glanced over at the rolled-out toolset and went for the one Quatre had requested. He handed the small wrench to Quatre.

"Thanks."

Quatre quickly fastened the battery cables, and gave a quick, content sigh. "There, that ought to do it." He dropped the hood down, put the wrench aside and wiped his hands on the front of his coveralls.

"Uhm... Quatre?"

"Yeah?"

"Is there something you think I should know about?"

Quatre looked perplexed. "Like what?"

Trowa bit softly on the inside of his cheek, finally deciding to go with the direct path. "About today."

Bafflement flashed across Quatre's face. "Trowa, I don't quite follow..."

Sigh. "Well, Duo mentioned he heard you talking about an anniversary earlier - but I can't for the life of me remember _which_, and I thought I had all of them pinned down by now, and-"

Halfway through his rant, Quatre had broken out in a big smile. Now, he was laughing softly. "Oh, _that_. No, it isn't a date I would expect you to remember - or know about, for that matter." He closed the distance between them and dropped a quick kiss on Trowa's cheek. "Thank you for your concern, though. It is sweet of you." He bent down to roll up the toolkit, securing the belt strap around it.

Trowa hesitated, but curiosity got the better of him. "Quatre?"

"Hm?"

"Just what day _is_ it?"

Again, Quatre smiled at him. "Well... If you really want to know..." soft sigh. "Today it's four years since we finished building Sandrock. In a way, it's like a long lost friend's birthday." He stared blankly ahead of himself, reminiscing. "Can't tell you how happy I was when we finished building him - operating the suit for the first time was so different from working with the simulators, but still... it was as if I _knew_ Sandrock, from the inside out."

Mild chuckle. "I suppose you did - you helped build him, after all." Trowa stepped closer and embraced Quatre from behind, minding the messier stains at his front. "Sandrock was your baby... You're allowed to feel a little sad." He touched his lips to the ridge of Quatre's ear.

Quatre put his arms on the ones holding him. "Yeah..." He paused, soothed by Trowa's slight rocking motion. "Don't you ever miss Heavyarms?"

Trowa didn't answer at first, trying to think of a way to say how he felt about the mobile suits without hurting Quatre's feelings. If anyone ever thought him silent, it was only around Quatre - only because of that slight fear, constantly there to create doubts. "Yes..." he finally whispered, before continuing. "But I could never think of it as more than a mobile suit. It was a machine, nothing more."

Quatre shook his head. "I disagree. I think the rest of the guys would, too..." Sullen smile. "Heavyarms probably had a hedgehog personality - he was certainly equipped for keeping the enemy at bay from a distance..."

Kiss to earlobe, lips then softly tugging the same. "Now you're mocking me."

Snicker. "Maybe..."

He tightened his hold on Quatre just a little, and rested his chin on Quatre's shoulder. "I don't miss Heavyarms that much, though. I have you instead. Nothing can beat that trade."

Quatre tilted his head, glanced at him from the corner of his eye. "Oh yeah?"

Solemn nod.

There was the slightest gleam of mischief in Quatre's eye. "What about compared to... me, on your bed, wearing nothing but thin, red gift wrap streamer and a nametag addressed to you?"

Trowa chuckled softly, tugged on a smile and kissed Quatre on the cheek. "I'd say... happy birthday, Sandrock."

...and it was.

-end-


	38. Mirror, mirror

  
**Mirror, mirror**

_Contents/Warnings:_ Shounen Ai/Yaoi   
_Pairing:_ 1x2x1   
_Disclaimer:_ See all the others; status unchanged. 

AN: Written as a giftficlet for Shinigami62's birthday.

* * *

"Do you think I'm fat?"

To such a question, there is no good answer. Even silence is not an option. All good husbands and boyfriends know this.

You'd think it would be slightly different if it was asked by the husband's husband or the boyfriend's boyfriend - but alas, all humans are vain, regardless of gender, sociability or sexuality.

Fortunately for Heero, this was not what Duo said, but it was close enough for the same principle to apply.

Duo was standing - in boxers and a hair band only - before the big bedroom mirror that also served as a closet sliding door, preening like a peacock with all the gracious posturing of a bodybuilder short of a set of skin-toned airbags. "Do you think I'm skinny?"

Lacking good options, Heero made a slanted smirk, opting to dodge with humor. "Well, you're not exactly a walking dumpling..."

Duo paused for a moment and shot Heero an annoyed glare and a huff. "I didn't mean that, you bastard. I meant muscles." He flexed again, showing off the thin, wiry muscles he had, then sighed. "Not exactly impressive, is it?"

Heero rolled his eyes. It wasn't the first time they'd entered this particular argument, from various angles of attack. He doubted very much it would be the last, too. Once more, he cursed the mixed blessings Dr. J had given him. Why Duo felt so strongly about this particular issue, he didn't know. It wasn't as if Heero had that much more to make a show of - but, thanks to Dr. J's concoctions, it made for twice the actual strength. "You look just fine, Duo. Now, come back to bed."

Up until this point, he'd only made the occasional glance in Duo's direction. The novel he was reading was reaching a climax, and he very much wanted to reach the end of it before lights out. He only had a few pages left, anyway. Whether it was jealousy or a minute inferiority complex that fostered these thoughts in Duo's mind, he didn't know. He didn't really care, either. All he wanted, was for them to go away - he only lacked a means of making it so.

Duo studied himself in the mirror, put his arms akimbo. "You think so?"

A sigh. Fine, climax could wait. He put the book aside on the nightstand, making sure to slide in the bookmark in first. "You _know_ I do..." Heero saw the slight smile on Duo's reflection, then let his eyes wander a bit. Oh, he definitely appreciated the sight. The mirror kindly let him see from more sides than one at once, too. These were the moments that convinced him supporting Duo's more spontaneous interior decorating ideas was justified. Of course, it had really been more of a trade-off. The concession of the mirror doors - and a few others - had gained him his own small study.

Everyone needs a retreat for the bad days.

"Why are you obsessing with muscles, anyway?"

Snort. Duo turned around. Heero casually threw a glance at the mirror, a dim leer at his lips. He didn't care if Duo noticed - in fact, he wished that was the case - and on this rare occasion his wish was granted, if Duo's half-grin was anything to judge by. "Look, Heero - it's just-" Duo paused, nibbled at his lower lip. "Sometimes, you make me feel so damn fragile - not just 'cause you're stronger than me physically, but 'cause you treat me like a china figurine, despite how you say I'm not some brittle, little-"

"Being protective doesn't mean-"

Chuckle. "Smothering, more like."

Snort, faint smile. "Fine, I'll give you that - but it's only because I love you, you know that. And you're right, what I say don't always match how I act - but you're not weak, Duo. It's just the opposite. You're the strongest, toughest son of a bitch I've ever had the pleasure of meeting - and fighting."

Grin. "And winning over."

Shrug. "About half and half."

Duo laughed. "Right..." Again, he studied his reflection.

Heero decided enough was enough, flipped the covers aside and walked up behind his lover, wrapping his arms around his waist, touching lips to neck, then shoulder. "If anything, _I_ should envy _you_, Duo..."

An answer came only in the form of Duo's relaxed expression.

Heero pressed on, a feral glint in his eye. "Besides, if you can take what I dish out, you _have_ to be a tough bastard..."

Duo grew a wide grin.

Heero went on the offensive, pulling Duo along back to bed, his book nearly forgotten.

At least one of them was going to reach a climax by lights out.

-end-


	39. Shifting Sheets

  
**Shifting Sheets**

_Contents/Warnings:_ Shounen Ai/Yaoi, lime, attempts at humor   
_Pairing:_ 1x2   
_Disclaimer:_ See all the others; status unchanged. 

AN: Written for the Hatsukoi 2004 contest.

* * *

Duo was lying in his bed, back against the wall, eyes closed, his breathing finally calming down again. He felt profoundly drowsy. At best, his thoughts were sluggish. His entire body was heavy, sated - still recovering from events earlier that night.

A soft rustle of sheets reached his ears. The first time around, he ignored it. By the third time, he was annoyed enough to force his eyes open and attempt to focus.

The first thing he saw was Heero's face, resting on the other end of the large pillow. The bed was hardly big enough for the both of them, but that hadn't discouraged them last night. Heero was also lying on his side, albeit almost turned over enough to lie on his stomach. He appeared restless.

Heero didn't notice Duo looking at him. The Wing pilot seemed rather preoccupied, his face filled with the curiousness and awe of discovery of a four-year-old as he studied his hips. He shifted again, making the thin cotton sheets slide along his skin - in particular, his bare backside.

Duo cut off a yawn halfway through, smiling softly. "What are you doing? Trying to avoid the big wet spot?"

Finally aware of being observed, Heero gave Duo a startled glance, paused for a moment, then moved his rear again. "It's not that, it's-" He stopped, sighed, showed Duo a lopsided smile. "Well, it's the first time I've slept naked, and-" His smile grew towards a sheepish grin, and his cheeks flushed, barely perceptible.

Duo noticed, though. He'd learned to take note of such small things. "You like the feel of fabric on your bare ass, right?"

Pause, tentative nod.

Chuckle. "Figures. After having had your butt draped in spandex all the time, I guess that doesn't surprise me..." He sighed, fought back another yawn, then mumbled "...here I give you my virginity, and you focus on how the cotton sheets skid across your perfect ass..."

Soft frown. "Duo..."

"You are one, you know. Perfect ass." Duo groaned, glanced at the ceiling. "Should just have bought you some cotton briefs instead..." Heero grunted, amused. Duo rolled his eyes and started tilting over on his backside again. Halfway there, his posterior reported its sore state to his brain, causing a wince and a reversal of movement, returning him to his side, looking into Heero's face.

Heero dared snicker. Duo glared daggers. For a few heartbeats, neither moved nor spoke. Then, Heero started shifting his hips again, letting the cotton sheets caress smoothly across his rear.

Duo closed his eyes momentarily. "Stop that..."

Heero evidently refused his command, as the rustle continued. Well, it wasn't the first time Duo's requests had gone unanswered - at least in a favorable sense. Duo opened his eyes again, prepared to give Heero some hard glares. This time, however, the expression of curiosity was not there. Instead, Duo was faced with the playful, almost teasing smirk and mirthful eyes that had gotten to him the night before.

He cut short a groan. "And wipe that damn smug look off your face. You weren't _that_ good, you know..." Once more, Duo almost fell over on his back again, but avoided it after getting a reminder from his tender butt. He cringed a little, balanced back up on his side, leaving him to face Heero's smirk again.

"I thought you said I took your virginity. Logically, that leaves you without a basis for comparison..."

Duo threw a glance to the ceiling, admitting defeat. His mind was in no condition for a drawn-out verbal sparring match right now. "It _hurt_, you selfish bastard."

The smirk wavered, unsure, finally settling into a slight smile. "You were the one who suggested it, Duo. You were the one who wanted it. Allow me to quote; 'Oh yeah, right there...' 'That's the spot...' 'Harder, Heero. Faster...'" Heero stared Duo straight in the eye. "Should I go on? You were quite vocal, and I made mental notes of most of it."

Oh, how Duo wanted to punch Heero in the face for that... Sure, he'd been vocal. Parts of it had been enjoyable - but most of the sound-bits were inspired from his rather sizable stash of porn flicks, safely stored in Deathscythe's computers, heavily encrypted. Maybe he'd invite Heero for a viewing one day - maybe more. Right then, however, Duo was nowhere near the mood for that. He did blush, however, and grew a sheepish grin.

In Heero's eyes, it was the sort of grin that almost screams 'danger', possibly only verbal, possibly deadly. Heero had seen both occur, and prepared for the worst.

Being cut off, that is. He didn't think Duo would settle for killing him; torture seemed more likely.

Duo went easy on him, though. "Hey, I only offered in the first place 'cause I knew you'd be too chicken to play bottom. After all, we _did_ size up who's got the biggest - ow!"

Heero had punched Duo in the gut, not very hard, but certainly enough to be noticed. Duo had seen it coming, and had successfully hardened his muscles in time to soften the blow. Duo would probably have said something, or done something in return, but Heero's hand was soon smoothing across the impact site, soothing the pain with a faint, ticklish touch. He abandoned the task briefly, pushing on Duo's shoulder, urging him to lie back on the bed.

Duo didn't resist much, although he struggled not to wince as his butt got pressured again. That pain was quickly balanced out as Heero started kissing his belly, soft touches of lips to skin, moving down the slick surface, ignoring sweat and other residues clinging to Duo's body.

Duo let go a stressed moan as Heero dipped his tongue into the belly button, making a few quick swirls before brushing the start of Duo's treasure trail. In contradiction to Duo's anticipations, however, he did not follow the trail, but instead began a hike upwards again, across the planes of Duo's stomach, reaching his sternum, going further up, Heero's fingers grazing Duo's sides with soft caresses, the butterfly kisses reaching Duo's clavicle-

"You're heading the wrong way, Heero," Duo mumbled, not entirely unsatisfied by the turn of events, even if- "Want your lips at-"

Heero kissed him soundly, roughly, demanding access. Duo relented, mellowing out under Heero. He felt his body grow weak again, the good shivers running along his spine. Yeah, that was a good place for Heero's lips, too... Even so, Duo's mind started wandering.

It took a little while for Heero to realize it. Having had more than one make-out session in the past, he knew Duo was holding back. He kissed Duo, but got little response for it, and what there was lacked the usual enthusiasm. He paused his assaults on Duo's mouth, contemplated what was wrong, if anything. He looked Duo in the eyes, but they gave no answer. It was as if Duo was staring blankly ahead, through Heero and up into the ceiling.

Heero would have none of that. He leant in again and softly bit Duo's nose.

That, at least, sparked a reaction. Duo frowned at him. Heero kissed him again, and this time he was kissed back.

As he came up for air, gently rocking his hips against Duo's, he gave Duo a playful smirk. "Ready for an encore?"

Duo huffed, grinned faintly. "I'm still digesting the appetizer. What happened to the main course?"

Well, that certainly put a stomp on Heero's mood. He stopped the hip roll.

With the lack of an answer, Duo pressed on. "You know, I'm beginning to think this sex thing is too damn hyped."

Lopsided smile. "What were you expecting, Duo? Fireworks?"

Remnants of a frown. "Look, all I'm saying is that if that's all there is to it, I might as well spank the monkey myself, instead of having your monkey come play caveman."

"Hey, it was my first time too," Heero protested, holding back a snicker. "I'm sorry if you think it was uncomfortable, but I think it's unreasonable for you to think I'd get everything right the first time."

Snort. "Thought we were in the business of getting it right the first time, or end up dead."

Sigh. "Duo..."

Duo tilted his head to look away.

Heero briefly touched his lips to Duo's cheek. "We can always do other things together - sex isn't just-"

Mild frustration. "I know, I know... Sorry."

Heero hesitated, but decided to ask, anyway. "I still think... you ought to give me a second chance at getting it right, Duo..."

Duo glared into Heero's face again. "Uh-uh. No way, mister. No-"

He was cut off by another kiss. Heero shifted his hips against Duo's again. It didn't take long to spark the reaction he wanted. Heero left Duo's lips in favor of latching on to his neck, working up a hickey. "Cavemen," he mumbled in quick pauses in his suckling, "Raise your clubs... and beat off..."

Duo tried not to think to much. He had enough with just sensing, ignoring the soreness of his rear in favor of the feel of Heero's lips and tongue on his skin, of Heero's thighs straddling his, of Heero's erection rubbing against his own... His breathing grew ragged again, and he let go a moan. "...if this is your idea of foreplay..."

He felt Heero's smile on his neck. Heero abandoned the hickey in favor of Duo's cheek. "Is it working?" He ended the question with a rather forceful hip roll.

"Yeeesss...." Duo hissed. They kissed again; hands grew restless.

Lips to Duo's cheek, warm whispers to his ear. "Please, Duo... give me another chance to get it right..."

Again some unintelligible sound pushed its way up Duo's throat, to Heero's amusement. Delightful shivers raced Duo's spine. "You pushy bastard..."

Lick along cartilage. "I'll owe you one..."

Soft nod. "Yeah, like that..." Another kiss. "Owe me what?"

To that, Heero had no ready answer. Worse, he had the feeling his chances at getting lucky again that night - or possibly any time soon - depended on it. It was a risk he didn't like. It took a few moments before he realized they'd stopped kissing. Even their hands had come to rest, if Heero's hips had not, still seeking friction. They gazed into each other's eyes, noses almost touching. "I don't know," Heero finally replied. "How about a blowjob?"

Duo scoffed. "That's hardly a fair trade..."

Heero dared a smirk. "You said you liked my mouth." To demonstrate, he touched his lips to Duo's cheek, then went on to nibble at Duo's earlobe, tugging at the soft flesh, sucking on it, making sure to rub the back of it with his tongue, before going for an all-around swirl, and-

He had made his point. Duo gave in. "O-okay, fine."

-------

When they finally went to sleep again, it was in Heero's bed, where the sheets were not yet repeatedly initiated.

Come morning, they were.

-end-


	40. Dream Lover

  
**Dream Lover**

_Contents/Warnings:_ Shounen Ai/Yaoi, sap, language   
_Pairing:_ 12   
_Disclaimer:_ See all the others; status unchanged. 

AN: Written for gw500 challenge #51 - 'fantasy'.

* * *

Duo slumped into the kitchen, got himself a cup and filled it of the pot of hot, black coffee simpering at the coffee maker before sitting down at the table opposite of Heero. He looked rather grumpy, even somewhat tired, despite how he'd just slept for eight hours.

At least Heero presumed as much. The five pilots had divvied up the day on stand-by for guarding _Peacemillion_, and thus had different times at which to sleep. His and Duo's overlapped by a bit. He was here for lunch, Duo for breakfast.

"Rough night?"

He got a grunt in reply. Duo took another gulp of coffee, as if oblivious to its temperature and potency.

Heero remained curious. "Bad dream, then?"

Duo scowled at him, but the expression softened quickly. He sighed. "Dreams can be so fucked up..."

Lopsided smirk. "Much like reality."

Snort, beginnings of a grin. "Right..." He paused for a while. "Heero... Have you ever had a dream where a lover ignored you completely?"

"You mean, rejected you?"

Duo shook his head. "No, just... ignored you, as if you weren't even there, whenever you tried to reach out and touch, or kiss, or do anything at all to get close."

Heero's smirk wavered, not sure what to say to that - but offense is the best defense. "Is that what you dreamt about? That your lover shunned you?"

Another slow sip of the coffee. "Something like that... Can't remember the face, not even the body shape. Only that whoever it was, was beyond my reach, no matter what I did or didn't do." Coffee cup hard to the table, groan in frustration. "What the heck made my mind put together a dream like that? Why can't I just have fucking wet dreams like everyone else?!"

Heero said nothing.

Neither did Duo, for a while. "Sorry, didn't mean to burst like that. Just put me in a bad mood, is all."

Heero pursed his lips, started to say something, stopped himself, started over. "You know... they say that if you tell someone what you dream, it won't come true."

Snort. "Great. So, I'll tell you all about my nightmares, and never say a word about the wild, wet ones." Playful grin.

Heero tugged on a smile again. "...as you wish," he commented at length.

Duo sighed, chugged down the remainder of the coffee. He stood up, made a quick stretch. "Well, better get going. Have to relieve Trowa. Catch you later, Heero."

Heero nodded his goodbye, watched as Duo went away. He didn't even complain about Duo skipping breakfast, as he usually did. Instead, he waited until Duo was out of sight, and reached for the coffee cup. He cradled it with both palms, enjoying the warmth lingering in the ceramic, knowing Duo's hands had been there but moments before. He closed his eyes, and could almost imagine his hands around Duo's, still clutching the cup.

Heero thought back to that morning - his morning, that is. Silently, he promised himself that next time, it would be different. This morning, when he'd reached out to touch Duo's cheek, caress it as best he could without stirring the sleeping soldier - not a small feat, but a necessary and gradually acquired skill - was to be the last of its kind. Next time, they would both be awake. It was time to move out of the shadows.

Heero didn't want to go on being an elusive figure of dreams.

Perhaps he could make at least one fantasy come true.

His own.

-end-


	41. No Fair Play In Hair Play

  
**No Fair Play In Hair Play**

_Contents/Warnings:_ Shounen Ai/Yaoi, lime, humor, sap   
_Pairing:_ 1x2x1   
_Disclaimer:_ See all the others; status unchanged.

* * *

"This is stupid."

"We have a deal."

Grunt. "I swear, one more time, and I'll kill- ow!"

Chuckle. "Yeah, I know you love me too. Now, sit still..."

Another forceful tug, concealed wince. "Just let it be."

Duo let go of the brush, leaving its teeth entangled in brown hair, hanging off the side of Heero's head. He put his arms around Heero's waist, hugged him tight, rested his chin against Heero's shoulder, opposite side of the brush handle. "Like that?"

Quick snort. "I think my hair prefers to take whatever shape it wants, not to be bent according to your will. Or mine, for that matter."

Another chuckle. Duo closed his thighs as best he could, with Heero seated between them, both of them in boxers only. The shower had been quick - but necessary, following their morning. "Right... We have a deal, remember? You get to comb my hair, and I get to play with yours in return. Not my fault if your hair fetish came back to hurt you. Besides, I told you-"

Heero leaned back a bit, tilted his head to give Duo a sideways glare. It mellowed before the grin. "I remember..."

Quick half-kiss. "But didn't listen, right? I told you - shampoo _and_ conditioner. My hair certainly needs it - and by the looks of it, so does yours."

Grunt. "I've managed just fine without it so far."

Smirk. "That much is painfully obvious."

Snort, grumpy face. "Why do you care so much about how my hair looks?"

Chuckle, tight hug. "Well, you certainly seem to appreciate mine well enough..."

Heero dared a soft smile at that. "It's not the hair, it's what comes attached." Smirk. "And where your tail wags."

Duo gave a slight snort, and reached around for the end of said tail. As always, Heero had done a good job braiding it. The elastic was in just the right place, too. Duo brought the little brush of hairtips to bear, showing it to Heero. "You mean this tail?" He swept the tip slowly across Heero's cheek.

"Mm-hm..."

Grin. "I see... and you know, conditioner is what makes my hair this nice and soft..."

Weak grunt. "It's not soft, it's coarse - but in a good way."

Chuckle. "Whatever you say..."

"How come you became so fixated on conditioner anyway?"

Duo hesitated in answering, tilted his head as best he could, waiting for Heero to meet his eyes. "Beauty magazines," he finally confessed. Heero looked mildly surprised - but far more amused. "Yeah - and if you ever tell anyone, I'll kill _you_ for a change."

Heero took the statement for what it was. Duo's face was a grin, but his inflection was grim.

"And why are you so reluctant about conditioner?"

Heero shrugged. "I... Well, it feels sort of... _vain_, using stuff like that."

Snort. "Like hell it is. It's a _necessity_, not a luxury."

Heero dared a smirk. He was pretty sure Duo was joking now. "And what about visits to hair salons?"

Grin. "_That_, is another thing entirely. Not like we can take the chance. OZ patrols can be anywhere, even there. You've seen some of those peacocks in their top brass, right? Besides, I have _you_ to fix me up, don't I?"

"Yeah..." Brief quiet, then a chuckle.

Duo brushed the tip of his braid slowly down along Heero's chin and throat. "What's so funny?"

"Well... I just imagined you going to a beauty parlor, getting all donned up. Full wash and rinse, some fancy hairdo, manicure, pedicure, pore clean-up, mascara - the works."

Grin lopsided, Duo reached for the wedged-in brush again. Heero had expected it, and followed the soft yank before it could cause much discomfort, snickering. With a quick wiggle, the brush finally let go. Duo put it aside and reached around Heero's waist again with one arm, using the other to sweep the tip of his braid along Heero's clavicle, then down his chest.

Heero let go a slow sigh, leaned back into Duo's embrace.

Duo started brushing the tip back and forth across one of Heero's nipples, tilted his head to kiss Heero's cheek, then his shoulder.

Heero put one hand on Duo's thigh, rubbing softly, then reached around to cup Duo's cheek with the other. "You know... If we keep this up, that shower will have been for nothing..."

Chuckle, quick kiss. "That's okay - we can do it over and wash your hair again. _With_ conditioner this time."

Smirk, grunt.

Duo's palm slid down Heero's stomach, thumb playing with the waistband of Heero's boxers. "...and you have other curls for me to play with..." As if to prove it, he dipped the tip of his thumb in, grazed coarse hair. He put his lips to Heero's ear, and whispered "Ready for some personal grooming...?" Not waiting, thumb was followed by the rest of the fingers, going for an intimate hand combing.

Heero gasped at the touch. It didn't make it any better - or rather, it did make it better - that Duo still used the tip of his braid to caress his chest. "Yeah," he hissed, then smirked as a thought struck him. "Make me beautiful, Duo..."

Duo smiled, kissed Heero's shoulder. "You already are..."

-end-


	42. Being Played

  
**Being Played**

_Contents/Warnings:_ Shounen Ai   
_Pairing:_ 212   
_Disclaimer:_ See all the others; status unchanged.

* * *

"Hey, Heero - what do you say to a little one-on-one, huh?"

Heero looked up from the computer screen, glared at his roommate. "What-"

"Basketball," Duo grinned back at him.

Frown.

"Hey, _you_ were the one that suggested we get involved in extracurricular activities, so that we didn't stick out too much here."

Brows closing momentarily, then relaxing again.

Half a smirk. "What, afraid you'd _lose_, tough guy? Think little, old me would trash you in an honest ballgame?"

That was it. Curse Duo for knowing his weak spot for challenges. He snatched the ball out of Duo's hands. "You're on."

"Great - hey, wait."

Heero stopped, already halfway to the door. "Now what?"

Duo nodded towards his chair, where two pairs of white shorts and red tank tops lay. "We need to change first. That's the team uniform. There's tryouts later today, so I signed us up and got these. Don't stick out, remember?"

Another quick frown. Heero put the ball aside, and pulled his standard green tank top over his head. He tossed it over on his bed and grabbed one of the red shirts.

Duo had pursed his lips during the brief second Heero's eyes were obscured. As Heero reached for his spandex, Duo snatched one of the white shorts and the remaining red shirt, and headed for their bathroom, unlike Heero desiring some privacy before changing. Even so, as he turned in the doorway, he caught a glimpse of the moon as spandex came off. With a slight gulp, he finally closed the door.

---

Heero attacked, not for the first time. Duo immediately moved to block him, and even though Heero was quick to turn his back on Duo, waiting for an opening, he found none. Frowning, he made a break for it, following the curved line in the hopes Duo wouldn't be able to follow. In one quick move, he bolted left, bounced the ball once, turned as he jumped up, tossed the ball-

Only to see it smack against Duo's palms and bounce harmlessly onto the court. Duo went after it immediately, and their roles were reversed.

Heero hated to admit it, but Duo was rather good. He was glad nobody were there to witness this, though. He didn't want to add to the list of people he had to kill.

A moment's hesitation was enough for Duo to get past his defenses, leap for a shot-

Even though Heero made a jump backwards, desperately trying to deflect the ball, it was no use. He couldn't gain the height in time, and he had enough with landing on his feet and hands, rather than his rear. The ball went through the hoop, and landed right next to his right hand. Heero glared at it, then at Duo, who was snickering.

"Too much for ya?"

Scowl. Heero snatched at the ball, went back out on the court to prepare his next attack. Duo had just evened the score again, and their allotted time was fast coming to an end. Half an hour, that was the agreement. Only a few minutes left now.

He moved closer, and Duo put on an effective guard, reaching wide to block Heero's every way of attack. The half-embrace was on the border of legality in blocking, but there was no touching. Any bumps between them was unintentional, and mainly due to Heero's movements.

To Heero's frustrations, Duo was perfectly able to keep up with him. Steeling his resolve, Heero decided to intensify his efforts. He was _not_ going to lose to this scatterbrain who'd followed him here. The boarding school cover was _his_ idea, damn it. He couldn't stand a copycat, nor a tagalong. If it wasn't for the fact he still owed Duo...

Another attack. He jumped right, Duo following, then shifted his foot in mid-air to jump back left, two steps and a bounce, turned to the hoop-

And damn if Duo was not there - worse, Heero had already committed himself to the shot, and even as he fell backwards he made a shot, saw Duo leap for it, deflect it, suddenly realize his next problem-

They fell. On gut reaction alone, Heero grabbed at Duo's waist, saw Duo's arms sprawl, prepare-

Impact.

Concrete hurts.

Duo had been able to land on hands and knees, now lying on top of Heero. Heero, by having clung to Duo, had reduced the impact of his backside to the concrete. Even so, he covered up a wince, suspecting he'd get a few impressive bruises over the next few days. As it was, all he could do was frown up into Duo's face, blaming him for their little outing, even more so for the fall. Had Duo not gone for the ball, or kept such a close guard, he would have been able to land on his feet. With Duo inbound for a landing on top of him, Heero's original plan of falling back on one leg, jump away and regain balance was scratched; Duo's weight would have twisted his leg for sure, if not broken something. Duo had reacted quickly enough to avoid crushing him, at least.

Grin down. "Sorry about that... didn't mean to..." The words trailed off, and the grin wavered. Duo merely looked him in the eye, his gaze soft compared to Heero's harsh return glare. Duo leaned in, closer-

"Duo, what-"

They kissed. Or rather, Duo kissed Heero, not giving the other a choice in the matter, retreating before Heero could give more than surprise as a reaction. He hovered for a while, waiting for Heero's next move.

That hadn't been an accident. The fall hadn't been an accident. Duo had seen what was going on, but had _let_ this happen, had let them fall... Had trapped him - kissed him. Heero's frown lingered for a minute, then faded away into sullenness. "...why?" he finally asked.

Duo smiled faintly. "Because I wanted to... Because I hoped _you_ wanted to, too..."

Perplexed by this, Heero wasn't sure how to respond.

Duo sighed, got to his feet, offered Heero a hand in getting up too.

Heero looked at the offering, then frowned, slapped it away in refusal and got up on his own. He looked at Duo's scraped hands and knees. Again, the frown wavered. "You're injured..."

Duo cocked his head to one side, looked at Heero, glanced down at his palms. "What, this? Those are just scratches. I'll put some antiseptic on it when we get back. It doesn't even bleed, so no biggie."

"But-"

"Wanna play some more, Heero?"

Heero thought it over, considered repeating his concerns over Duo's scrapes, considered questioning him about the kiss. He'd never thought Duo might-

No, that wasn't the real problem. What was, was that he didn't think _he_ would... like it.

He opened his mouth, intent on answering Duo's questions - not just the one he'd actually spoken, but he never got that far. A new voice interrupted them, as well as the bouncing of a basketball - _their_ basketball.

"Huh, what are two short squirts like _you_ doing here? The tryouts are for _real_ guys, not midgets like you two." The tall, gangly guy ran one hand through his black curls, kept a steady rhythm on the ball with the other. Another big, dark-haired fellow stood beside him, albeit substituting some of the height for muscle, punching one fist into his other palm.

Duo huffed at the sight, turned a grin to Heero. "What do you say, Heero? Wanna work with me and cream these guys in a quick two-on-two game?"

The tall guy stopped bouncing the ball, grabbing it with both hands, snorted. "As if you could even score a single point..."

Heero glared at the guy, more than willing to focus all his frustrations on the new target. "I'm with you, Duo." He glanced at Duo from the corner of his eye, dared a short-lived half-smirk, and mumbled "All the way..."

He didn't wait to see if Duo had heard the latter, but immediately focused on the task at hand, starting an assault. There would be time to talk things out with Duo later.

As the game unfolded, soon enough going decidedly in their favor, Heero did notice that the coach had come down to the sidelines to observe the game. He smirked. Perhaps a place at the school team wasn't such a bad idea. It wasn't as if they were going to stay long enough to really be noticed, anyway. Besides, there was something to hiding in plain sight.

Even so, he was definitely beginning to feel the effects of the fall. His back hurt, and he imagined Duo's hands weren't exactly enjoying grabbing the ball, either.

If Duo ever wanted a second kiss, Heero hoped he'd just have the nerve to ask.

The answer was a given.

-end-


	43. Old Procedures

  
**Old Procedures**

_Contents/Warnings:_ Shounen Ai, geezers.   
_Pairing:_ JG   
_Disclaimer:_ See all the others; status unchanged. 

AN: Written for gw500 challenge #54, 'midnight'. Uhm... yeah. Few braincells were killed in the rash scribbling of this piece. Where it came from, I do not know - and am not sure I want to, either.

* * *

The two men studied the evening sky from a park bench. High above them, the last detonation of war material suddenly gone superfluous erupted in a large fireball, quickly waning into nothing in the cold darkness of space.

"Looks like the big fireworks finally died out."

"Indeed... Sad, really." The other man rubbed his goatee, but didn't take his eyes away from the sky. "And now that it would finally be appropriate, too. All those ittybitty pieces of war machines, falling and burning to a crisp in the atmosphere..." He turned to face his companion, grinning. "Except ours, of course. I wonder what our young prodigies will do with them now..."

"Probably nothing too serious... I don't know about your kid, but mine never seemed interested in power. Besides, we've seen the choices they made during the war. They're good kids."

Nod. "True... but mine _did_ try to assassinate us once."

Half a smirk, twirl of gray moustache. "He obviously held a grudge against you - a youngster rebelling against his father, hm?"

"_Hah_! As if I was ever that to the boy..."

Pause. "Did you ever ask him?"

Sigh. "Enough of this nonsense... you're getting soft, and I hate that..." He reached for his walking stick with his good hand. "We should go home."

G looked up again, watched as another piece of space debris fell into the atmosphere, turning into a shooting star. "There's no rush, J. They won't miss us. It's not like anyone does... To the world, we are dead men."

J nursed his fresh bandages. "A depressing thought."

"Never build a self-destruct device you can't escape from. I've never been more happy to have followed such a motto."

"It wasn't a self-destruct device. We overloaded the engines."

Shrug. "It went for the same. It was a narrow escape, though - and _you_, you old fool. You _had_ to provoke Quinze into shooting you, didn't you? Always the hero, weren't you?"

"It was only a bullet or two..." Dry chuckle. "Perhaps you're right..." He leaned in over his cane, looked up again. "It's New Year's Eve tonight..."

"Yes... do you think 196 will be better than 195?"

"With the Alliance, OZ and Romefeller all gone? Undoubtedly."

"There'll be others. There are always those lusting for power."

Soft grin. "Yes... To each, his own... As for me, I plan to retire - for the evening, at least." With some effort, he got to his feet, the exoskeleton of his legs clicking into place. "Are you coming?"

Scepticism. "I know that look... You have some kind of plan, don't you?"

"Am I that obvious?"

"To me, you've always been obvious. Blatantly so."

Chuckle. "Ah, I see..." Deep breath. "Well, I've once heard by someone whose opinion I cared greatly for that whatever way you started out the new year, ended up being an indication as to how you would spend all of it."

Grunt. "Of all the things I've told you, _that_ is the nugget of wisdom you cling to..."

"So? It would be a nice way to reminisce, would it not? And how would you prefer to spend your retirement, anyway? Tending potted plants? Playing checkers with H? He cheats, you know."

Snort. "Reminisce, huh? It's been many years since those days, J..."

Hoarse snicker. "I might be old, but I'm not _that_ old..." He clamped his three metal fingers together. "Besides, do you really think I put less care in the design of myself than in my Gundam? This hand is detachable, you know..."

G raised a brow at that, tilted his head and studied J's face. "You didn't..."

"Attachments?" The flash of teeth was almost blinding. "Ask my young student. He was quite helpful in testing them all out."

Mild surprise to alarm, then a resigned headshake and a quick grunt as J's face gave away the joke. "You were always a fool..."

"The more things change, the more they stay the same." Sigh. "It's been nearly two decades, G. Don't you miss it?"

"I... yes, I suppose I have... But I suppose you could say I've been keeping busy lately. There hasn't been much time to consider... that sort of thing."

Snort. "You were the one who left with Howard. I always figured I'd end up finding you dead drunk in some seedy bar with a woman in each arm, and Howard in a similar state right next to you."

G sighed. "Still bitter about that, are you? I never left you for him. I left alone, he chose to tag along with me. Not my fault I was the most likeable of us."

"Yes, yes, yes... I know he would never - that _you_ would never-" Quick sigh. "Oh, never mind."

Silence.

"Remember the last time we celebrated this night together, G?"

G closed his eyes, thought back. The silliest smile flashed across his face.

J grinned at him, extended his claw to his old partner. "Same procedure as last year, miss GiGi?"

With a snort, G grabbed one of the metal digits. "Same procedure as every year, J..." To which he quickly added a muttered "...you miserable old bastard..."

J said nothing as they walked back to their little hideout. His grin spoke volumes all on its own.

-end-


	44. Choices

  
**Choices**

_Contents/Warnings:_ Bit of harsh language   
_Pairing:_ None   
_Disclaimer:_ See all the others; status unchanged. 

AN: Written for gw500 challenge #57 - 'intangible'.

* * *

His first thought was simple enough; a grand total of 'Fuck...'

He'd lost track of the years he'd spent bickering with the people in the foundation. It had been well over a decade since he left the Alliance mobile suit development program along with five old friends, which had since fallen out of touch. It was just as long since he'd last gotten to actually _build_ some of the things he dreamed up.

Until last night, when everything changed. Quinze had stopped by his little workshop. The man had grown ever more bitter since Heero Yuy got assassinated, and by now he was flat out vitriolic. He'd become more of an eyesore than a sight for sore eyes - not that it mattered much to J. His real eyes were long lost, and the biomechanical implants gave him itches he couldn't scratch.

It was a minuscule price for vision, though. His handicaps had not affected his mind; he could still see far beyond anyone else. J had a good feel about how things would play out - and the Barton Foundation's plan for vengeance and domination would not be successful, even if he chose to support it fully.

Then Quinze had told him he'd been granted the funds to build a new weapon - a Gundam.

The Barton Foundation only knew of the concept as a powerful mobile suit, nothing more. J grinned to himself, snapped his three-fingered claw after a fly buzzing by, missing by a wide margin. Oh, how wrong they were...

After Quinze left, so had J. He had headed for the nearest bar and made his body as drunk as his mind. It wasn't in celebration, but more of a wake. He wasn't sure for what or whom. Perhaps himself.

He'd collapsed in an alley heading home, sat down to let his body work on the alcohol, just as surely as his mind worked design schematics. Blueprints formed and changed, limited no longer by money, only available material - but with a blank check, that was hardly a concern anymore. This Gundam would be spectacular, indeed.

And so far, it was all in his head. He didn't dare commit anything to paper, lest he become dispensable.

And there were several elements missing.

Like a pilot.

He couldn't make the suit react fast enough to remote control, and a fully automated system was even worse. If people began to forget the dying and screaming; the fear of death and maiming - if they only thought of war as some kind of great videogame, then surely the vague concept known as 'peace' would forever be lost.

A pilot... The Barton Foundation would probably pick some brawny knucklehead with a temper - someone who shared their agenda. J shook his head. No, such a pilot would never do.

Footsteps alerted him, even in his inebriated state. The neighborhood wasn't the best, and he'd learned to be careful. His eyes, his claw and his cane painted a picture of an easy target. It had been a few weeks since he last had to prove some punks the error of that picture.

They were probably out of the hospital by now.

The footsteps stopped. A kid was watching him; a young boy, probably no more than eight, ten tops. No, not just watching - studying, evaluating. There was nothing of the haunted look most of the seasoned street urchins evolved about him - perhaps this kid hadn't been on the street for very long, then.

There was something about his stance that inspired a strange sense of trust, of dependability. J couldn't help but smile just a little. There was something about this kid he really liked, but he couldn't quite put a finger on it...

"Hey..." he greeted the kid.

No change in expression. The boy kept looking at him, his body showing signs of readiness to counterattack, if J proved dangerous.

Oh, yeah... J finally realized why he liked the kid. "You've got good eyes..."

There was no fear there at all - there was little of anything there, really, except a fierce determination in cold blue. This kid would go far, J surmised - if he was steered right...

He grinned to himself. Oh, the kid was definitely alert now, studying him intently - perhaps thinking of killing him. J reached for a discarded soda can with his claw and promptly crushed it with his three metal fingers, all to show he might be a cripple, but not an easy target to kill or mug - just in case his hunch about the kid was wrong.

But he didn't think so. Perhaps this could work out after all... "Want to become a Gundam pilot?"

At that, the kid hesitated for just a few seconds. J could see the boy didn't even know what a Gundam _was_ - which few outside the foundation did.

At least for now. The world would know soon enough - and never forget.

"Sure."

The boy approached him, stood there. For a moment, J thought the kid was about to help him up - but he didn't; he simply stood there like a good little soldier, not acting without a proper command.

J grinned as he stumbled himself onto his wobbly legs and cane. Oh yes, this kid would go far - under his guidance.

-end-


End file.
